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The  big  touring  car  shot  past  the  carryall.  —  Page  249. 


2>av>e  porter  Series 


DAVE  POSTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 


FOR  THE  HONOR  OP  OAK  HALL 


BY 

EDWAED   STRATEMEYER 

Author  of   "Dave   Porter   at    Oak    Hall,"    "The    Old    Glory    Seriei," 

"Colonial   Series,"     " Pan- American   Series," 

"Soldiers  of  Fortune  Series,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  CHARLES  NUTTALL 


BOSTON 
LOTHROP,   LEE   &   SHEPARD   CO. 


Published,  March,  1909 


Copyright,  rgog,  by  Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co. 

All  rights  reserved 

Dave  porter    and    His  Classmates 


forwooS    press 

Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  Mass. 

U.  S.  A. 


SRLF 
URL 


PREFACE 

"  Dave  Porter  and  His  Classmates  "  is  a 
complete  story  in  itself,  but  forms  the  fifth  volume 
in  a  line  issued  under  the  general  title  of  "  Dave 
Porter  Series." 

The  first  book  of  this  series,  "  Dave  Porter  at 
Oak  Hall,"  introduced  to  the  reader  a  typical 
American  youth  of  to-day,  full  of  vim  and  vigor, 
and  with  a  true  sense  of  manliness,  and  related  the 
particulars  of  some  doings  at  a  modern  boarding 
school.  At  this  institution  of  learning  Dave,  by 
pluck  and  perseverance,  fought  his  way  to  the 
front,  and  was  admired  accordingly. 

There  was  a  cloud  on  the  youth's  parentage,  and 
in  order  to  clear  this  away  he  took  a  long  and 
eventful  sea  voyage,  as  related  in  the  second 
volume  of  the  series,  called  "  Dave  Porter  in  the 
South  Seas."  Thousands  of  miles  from  home  he 
found  an  uncle  and  learned  something  of  his  fa- 
ther and  sister,  who  were  then  traveling  in  Europe. 

As  was  but  natural,  the  lad  was  anxious  to  meet 
all  his  relatives,  but  the  address  of  his  father  and 
sister  could  not  be  obtained,  and  while  waiting  for 
this  he  returned  to  Oak  Hall,  as  related  in  the 

iii 


iv  PREFACE 

next  volume,  entitled  "  Dave  Porter's  Return  to 
School."  At  school  Dave  lived  a  truly  strenuous 
life,  becoming  innocently  involved  in  some  rob- 
beries, aiding  to  win  some  great  football  games, 
and  helping  to  bring  the  bully  of  the  academy  to  a 
realization  of  his  better  self. 

In  the  midst  of  his  school  life  Dave  learned  that 
his  father  had  been  heard  from.  More  anxious 
than  ever  to  meet  his  parent  he,  in  company  with 
an  old  chum,  set  sail  for  England,  and  then  went 
to  Norway,  as  related  in  "  Dave  Porter  in  the  Far 
North."  Here,  amid  the  ice  and  snow  of  the  Land 
of  the  Midnight  Sun,  Dave  found  his  father,  and 
learned  much  of  his  sister,  which  filled  him  with 
great  satisfaction. 

It  was  now  time  for  the  youth  to  return  to 
school,  and  in  the  present  volume  I  have  related 
some  of  the  things  that  took  place  at  Oak  Hall 
after  Dave  got  back, — how  he  worked  hard, 
played  hard,  overcame  his  enemies,  and  what  he 
did  for  the  honor  of  the  academy. 

Once  more  I  thank  the  young  people  for  the  in- 
terest they  have  shown  in  my  books.  I  trust  that 
the  reading  of  the  present  volume  will  do  them 
much  good. 

Edward  Stratemeyer. 

February  I,  1909 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Dave   and   His    Past i 

II.  What  Laura  Had  to  Tell n 

III.  On  the  Way  to  School 21 

IV.  The  Fun  of  a  Night 31 

V.  What  Happened  to  Nat  Poole     .       .       .       .  41 

VI.  What   a   Big   Snowball   Did      .       .       .       .  51 

VII.  Prisoners  in  the  School             .,      .       .       .  61 

VIII.  A  Move  in  the  Dark 71 

IX.  Vera    Rockwell 81 

X.  Dave    Speaks    His    Mind 91 

XL  At  the  Old  Granary 101 

XII.  Gus  Plum's  Story 111 

XIII.  The  Gee  Eyes'  Initiation 121 

XIV.  In  Which  Job  Haskers  Gets  Left  in  the  Cold  131 
XV.  What  Mike  Marcy  Had  to  Tell      .       .       .141 

XVI.  Something  about  Lessons 151 

XVII.  Shadow  Hamilton's  Peril 161 

XVIII.  The  Boxing  Bout 171 

XIX.  At  the  Express  Office 181 

XX.  A   Misunderstanding 191 

XXI.  In  Which  the  Boys  Give  an  Entertainment  201 

XXII.  Forming  the   Baseball   Club      .       .       .       .  2U 

XXIII.  A  Great  Victory 221 

XXIV.  On  Bush  Island 231 

XXV.  What  an  Automobile  Did 241 

v 


VI 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXVI.  A    Defeat   for    Oak    Hall      ....  250 

XXVII.  Stuck  on  a  Sandbar 260 

XXVIII.  Link  Merwell  Has  His  Say    ....  270 

XXIX.  Dave  Makes  up  His  Mind      ....  280 

XXX.  Dave  Takes  the  Law  in  His  Own  Hands  289 

XXXI.  More  Victories — Conclusion     ....  298 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The    big   touring   car    shot   past    the    carryall 

(page  249) Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

The  big  snowball  hit  the  craft  and  bowled  it  over,       52     fy)  \ 

"It's  a  shame  to  make  you  eat  without  a  fork, 
Phil" 74 

"Now  to  Jackson's  Gully  with  him  !"  .     .     .     .     124 

Dave  pointed  out  the  form  of  the  sleep-walker,     164      (V"\l  5£ 

Down  went  the  back  part,  letting  him  fall  most 
unexpectedly 208 

"Well,  you  can  row  if  you  want  to,"   sneered 
Poole 232 

Raising  his  oar,  he  hit  the  bully  a  blow  on  the 
shoulder 274 


DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS 
CLASSMATES 

CHAPTER  I 

DAVE  AND   HIS   PAST 

"  I  SUPPOSE  you  feel  very  happy  to-day,  Dave." 

"Yes,  Roger,  happy  and  anxious,"  answered 
Dave  Porter.  "  And  who  wouldn't  feel  so  if  he 
was  in  my  place?  Just  think  of  it!  I  am  to  see 
ray.  sister  at  last — somebody  I've  never  seen  be- 
fore in  my  life !  Why,  sometimes  I  have  to  pinch 
myself  to  make  certain  I  am  really  awake." 

"  More  than  likely  Laura  is  just  as  anxious  as 
you  are,"  went  on  Roger  Morr.  "  She'll  surely 
want  to  know  how  her  long-missing  brother  looks. 
Remember,  she  hasn't  had  a  photograph  of  you, 
while  you  have  seen  several  of  her." 

"  That  is  so,"  answered  Dave.  His  usually 
smiling  face  took  on  a  serious  look.  "  I  trust  she 
isn't  disappointed  in  me  or  my  looks." 

"  Oh,  she  won't  be,  don't  worry  about  that. 
You're  a  good-looking  fellow,  even  if  I  do  have  to 


2     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

say  it  for  you,  Dave.  If  you  don't  believe  it,  just 
ask  Jessie  Wadsworth."  And  Roger  Morr  began  to 
grin.  "  I  know  Jessie  will  say  at  once  that  you  are 
the  dearest,  sweetest " 

"  Come  now,  Roger,  let  up !  "  interrupted  Dave, 
growing  red  in  the  face.  "  Supposing  Jessie 
should  hear  you  ? "  And  he  looked  anxiously 
toward  the  sitting-room  door,  which  was  partly 
open. 

"  There  is  no  harm  in  telling  the  truth,"  re- 
turned Roger,  with  a  calmness  that  made  Dave 
blush  still  more.  "  But  joking  aside,  Dave,  I 
really  hope  this  day  proves  to  be  the  happiest  of 
your  life,  and  Laura  turns  out  to  be  the  jolliest  of 
sisters." 

"Hello,  in  there!"  came  a  pleasant,  boyish 
voice  from  the  doorway,  and  a  youth  showed  him- 
self, with  a  pair  of  bright,  nickel-plated  skates  on 
his  arm.  "  Thought  you  were  going  skating, 
Roger?" 

"  So  I  am,  Phil.  I  just  stopped  to  speak  to 
Dave  for  a  moment.  He  is  going  off  now  to  meet 
his  sister." 

"  Oh !  "  Phil  Lawrence  came  into  the  room  and 
faced  his  chum.  "  Well,  I  can't  say  any  more  than 
what  I've  said  before,  Dave — I  wish  you  the  best 
of  luck.  I  am  sure  you'll  find  it  awfully  nice  to 
have  a  sister — especially  after  what  you've  had  to 
put  up  with  in  the  past." 


DAVE  AND  HIS  PAST  3 

"  Don't  you  fellows  really  want  to  go  with  me?  " 
asked  Dave. 

"  Of  course  we  do,  but Well,  Roger  and 

I  talked  it  over  and  we — that  is — well,  we  thought 
it  would  be  nice  to  let  you  go  with  your  father 
and  uncle — kind  of  family  gathering,  you  know. 
We'll  be  on  hand  by  the  time  you  get  back  to  the 
house." 

At  that  moment  the  merry  jingle  of  sleighbells 
sounded  from  outside  the  mansion  and  a  comfort- 
able two-seated  sleigh  came  up  to  the  door,  driven 
by  one  of  the  men  from  the  barn. 

"  There  is  your  turnout  ready  for  you !  "  cried 
Roger.  "  What  time  does  that  Western  train  get 
in?" 

"  Ten-twenty,  if  it's  on  time,"  replied  Dave 
promptly,  for  he  had  the  time-table  well  in  mind. 
"  But  the  snowstorm  may  have  delayed  it." 

"  Well,  I  hope  for  your  sake  the  train  is  on 
time,"  said  Phil  Lawrence.  "  If  it  isn't,  I  suppose 
every  minute's  delay  will  seem  like  an  hour  to 
you." 

"  More  like  two,"  answered  Dave,  and  then,  as 
he  heard  his  father  calling  to  him,  he  hurried  out 
into  the  hall.  There  stood  Mr.  David  Porter  and 
his  brother  Dunston,  both  ready  for  the  long  drive 
to  the  depot.  Behind  the  pair  were  a  lady  and 
gentleman  of  middle  age,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wads- 
worth,  and  their  daughter  Jessie,  while  in  the  li- 


4     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

brary  door,  holding  a  ponderous  volume  on  botany 
in  his  hands,  was  an  elderly  man  with  white  hair, 
Caspar  Potts. 

All  of  the  party  looked  at  Dave,  for  they  knew 
what  was  in  the  youth's  mind  and  what  was  on  his 
heart.  He  had  waited  a  long,  long  time  for  this 
day  to  come,  and  now  he  was  a  little  timid  about 
the  result;  why,  he  could  not  exactly  tell.  Per- 
haps because  he  had  pictured  his  sister  Laura  to  be 
one  kind  of  a  person  and  he  was  afraid  she  might 
prove  something  different. 

"We  mustn't. be  late,"  said  Mr.  Porter,  break- 
ing a  momentary  silence.  He,  too,  was  anxious 
over  the  coming  meeting  of  son  and  daughter.  It 
made  his  heart  bound  with  pleasure  to  think  that 
his  little  family  were  to  be  united  at  last. 

"  Remember,  dinner  will  be  waiting  for  you,  no 
matter  if  the  train  is  late,"  said  Mrs.  Wadsworth. 

"  And  I'm  to  sit  on  one  side  of  Laura  and  Dave 
on  the  other,"  put  in  Jessie,  flinging  back  her  curls 
that  insisted  at  times  on  falling  about  her  face. 
"  Oh,  won't  it  be  glorious,  Dave !  I  know  I  am 
going  to  love  Laura,  and  I  know  she  is  going  to 
love  me — at  least,  I  hope  so." 

Dave  looked  at  her  and  smiled — he  thought  a 
great  deal  of  Jessie,  he  simply  couldn't  help  it. 
Then  he  turned  and  followed  his  father  and  Uncle 
Dunston  down  to  the  sleigh.  The  three  got  in  and 
Mr.  Porter  took  up  the  reins.     A  word  to  the 


DAVE  AND  HIS  PAST  5 

stylish  team  and  off  they  sped,  through  the  spacious 
grounds  of  the  Wadsworth  mansion  and  down  the 
road  leading  to  the  railroad  station. 

Dave  wanted  to  talk  to  his  father  and  uncle,  but 
somehow  his  heart  was  too  full  and  the  words 
would  not  come.  His  whole  mind  was  centered 
upon  meeting  his  sister,  whom,  so  far  as  he  could 
remember,  he  had  never  seen.  He  did  not  dream 
of  the  unexpected  news  Laura  would  bring  him. 

To  those  who  have  read  the  former  volumes  of 
this  "  Dave  Porter  Series,"  the  characters  already 
mentioned  will  need  no  special  introduction.  For 
the  benefit  of  others  let  me  state  that  Dave  Porter 
was  a  youth  who  had  had  a  varied  experience  in 
life.  When  a  small  boy  he  had  been  found  wan- 
dering along  the  railroad  tracks  just  outside  of 
the  village  of  Crumville.  Nobody  knew  who  he 
was  or  where  he  came  from,  and  as  a  consequence 
he  was  put  in  the  local  poorhouse,  where  he  re- 
mained until  about  nine  years  old.  Then  an  old 
college  professor,  Caspar  Potts,  who  on  account 
of  broken  health  had  taken  up  farming,  took  the 
boy  to  live  with  him. 

Caspar  Potts  meant  well,  but  he  got  in  the 
grasp  of  a  money-lender,  Aaron  Poole,  as  related 
in  detail  in  my  first  story,  called  "  Dave  Porter  at 
Oak  Hall."  Times  looked  exceedingly  black  for 
the  old  man  and  for  Dave  when  there  came  a 
happening  which  turned  the  whole  aspect  of  affairs. 


6     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

In  an  elegant  mansion  of  the  outskirts  of  the 
town  lived  Mr.  Oliver  Wadsworth,  a  rich  manu- 
facturer, with  his  wife  and  daughter  Jessie,  the 
latter  a  beautiful  miss  some  years  younger  than 
Dave.  One  day  Dave  called  at  the  mansion  on 
business.  Jessie  was  waiting  for  an  automobile 
ride,  and  through  an  accident  to  the  gasoline 
tank  of  the  car  the  girl's  clothing  took  fire,  and 
she  might  have  been  burned  to  death  had  not 
Dave  rushed  to  her  assistance  and  put  out  the 
flames. 

Of  course  the  Wadsworths  were  exceedingly 
grateful,  and  when  the  gentleman  of  the  place 
learned  that  Caspar  Potts  was  one  of  his  old  col- 
lege professors  he  at  once  interested  himself  in  the 
old  man's  behalf. 

"  You  must  come  and  live  with  me,"  he  said. 
"  You  can  do  some  work  around  the  place  and  in 
arranging  my  library — and  you  must  bring  the 
boy  with  you."  He  had  had  a  son  who  had  died, 
and  Dave  reminded  him  strongly  of  that  offspring. 

At  the  Wadsworth  home  Dave  made  himself  a 
great  favorite,  and  he  and  Jessie  became  the  closest 
of  friends.  The  rich  manufacturer  wanted  the  lad 
to  have  a  good  education,  and  so  he  was  sent  off 
to  Oak  Hall,  a  fine  institution  of  learning.  With 
Dave  went  Ben  Basswood,  a  youth  of  Crumville 
who  had  been  the  poorhouse  lad's  chum  for  some 
years. 


DAVE  AND  HIS  PAST  7 

At  Oak  Hall,  Dave  proved  himself  a  leader  in 
many  sports,  and  as  a  consequence  he  gained  a  host 
of  friends,  including  Roger  Morr,  the  son  of  a 
United  States  senator,  and  Phil  Lawrence,  the  off- 
spring of  a  wealthy  shipowner.  He  also  made 
several  enemies,  not  the  least  of  whom  was  Nat 
Poole,  the  son  of  the  money-lender  who  had  caused 
Caspar  Potts  so  much  worry. 

One  day  Dave's  enemies  raised  the  cry  of  "  poor- 
house  nobody  "  against  him.  This  cut  the  high- 
spirited  lad  to  the  quick.  A  fight  ensued,  in  which 
Dave  was  victorious,  and  then  the  boy  resolved, 
at  any  cost,  to  solve  the  mystery  of  his  parentage. 

How  this  was  accomplished  has  been  related  in 
detail  in  "  Dave  Porter  in  the  South  Seas."  With 
information  obtained  from  an  old  sailor  the  youth 
journeyed  almost  half  around  the  world,  and 
there  fell  in  with  his  uncle,  Dunston  Porter,  who 
gave  him  much  information  concerning  his  father, 
David  Breslow  Porter,  and  also  about  his  sister 
Laura,  one  year  younger  than  himself,  and  told 
how  the  family  had  become  separated. 

Happy  in  the  knowledge  that  he  was  no  longer 
a  "  poorhouse  nobody,"  but  a  well-to-do  lad  with 
a  large  sum  of  money  coming  to  him  when  he 
should  be  of  age,  Dave  returned  to  the  United 
States.  His  father  and  sister  were  in  Europe,  and 
while  waiting  to  hear  from  them  he  went  back  to 
Oak  Hall,  as  told  in  "  Dave  Porter's  Return  to 


8     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

School."  Here  he  made  many  more  friends.  His 
enemies  could  no  longer  twit  him  about  his  parent- 
age, yet  some  of  them,  notably  a  fellow  named 
Jasniff  and  Nat  Poole,  and  a  bully  named  Gus 
Plum,  did  what  they  could  to  torment  him.  Plum, 
when  Dave  did  him  a  great  service,  tried  to  re- 
form, but  Jasniff,  who  was  a  hot-tempered  fellow, 
attempted  to  strike  Dave  down  with  a  heavy  In- 
dian club.  This  was  a  dastardly  attack,  roundly 
condemned  by  those  who  saw  it,  and  fearful  of 
what  might  follow,  Nick  Jasniff  ran  away  from 
school  and  set  sail  for  England. 

Dave  had  waited  long  to  hear  from  his  father 
and  sister,  and  at  last  when  he  learned  that  Jasniff 
had  met  them  in  London,  he  resolved  to  go  in 
quest  of  them,  although  he  did  not  yet  have  their 
address.  In  company  with  Roger  Morr  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  only  to  find  that  his  parent  had  joined 
an  expedition  for  the  upper  part  of  Norway.  How 
he  and  his  chum  journeyed  to  the  land  of  the  Mid- 
night Sun  has  been  told  in  all  its  particulars  in 
"  Dave  Porter  in  the  Far  North."  Here  Dave  at 
last  met  his  father  face  to  face, — a  joyous  reunion 
no  words  can  express.  Then  the  boy  learned  that 
his  sister  Laura  had  gone  to  the  United  States 
some  time  before,  in  company  with  some  friends 
named  Endicott,  who  owned  a  ranch  in  the  Far 
West. 

"  We  must  telegraph  at  once  for  Laura,"  said 


DAVE  AND  HIS  PAST  9 

Mr.  Porter,  and  several  telegrams  were  sent  with- 
out delay,  and,  as  a  consequence,  word  came  back 
that  Laura  would  come  as  fast  as  the  overland 
express  could  bring  her. 

When  Dave's  friends  heard  the  good  news  that 
he  had  found  his  father  some  of  them  came  to  the 
Wadsworth  home  to  congratulate  him.  Among 
the  number  was  Phil  Lawrence,  and  he  and  Roger 
were  invited  to  remain  with  Dave  until  the  latter 
returned  to  Oak  Hall. 

"  You  can  all  go  back  together — after  Dave  has 
seen  his  sister,"  said  Mr.  Porter.  "  I  will  fix  it 
up  with  Doctor  Clay,  so  you  won't  have  any  trouble 
over  staying  out  of  school  a  week  longer."  And 
so  it  was  arranged. 

Just  before  leaving  school  for  his  trip  to  Europe 
Dave  had  had  a  bitter  quarrel  with  Nat  Poole  and 
a  new  student  at  Oak  Hall  named  Link  Merwell. 
Merwell  was  an  aggressive  fellow,  tall  and  power- 
ful, the  son  of  a  cattle-owner  of  the  West.  His 
taunting  remarks  to  Dave  had  led  to  a  fight  in 
which  the  cattle-owner's  son  had  gotten  the  worse 
of  it. 

"  I'll  get  square  for  this,"  Link  Merwell  had 
said  to  his  crony.  "  I'll  make  Dave  Porter  eat 
humble  pie  before  I  am  done  with  him."  Then 
had  come  another  quarrel  between  the  Western 
boy  and  Mr.  Dale,  the  head  assistant  teacher,  and 
Merwell  had  come  close  to  being  expelled.     He 


io    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

had  gone  home  for  a  vacation,  stating  that  he  be- 
lieved Phil  Lawrence  had  gotten  him  into  "  the 
mess,"  as  he  expressed  it,  and  he  had  added  that  he 
would  not  forgive  either  Dave  or  Phil  as  long  as 
he  lived. 

"Well,  what  did  you  do?"  questioned  Dave, 
when  he  and  the  shipowner's  son  talked  this  affair 
over. 

"  I  didn't  do  anything,"  answered  Phil.  "  Mer- 
well  wanted  me  to  say  that  he  hadn't  gone  out  one 
night  when  I  knew  he  did  go  out.  I  refused,  and 
then  he  was  found  out.  Oh,  but  wasn't  he  mad 
when  he  left  on  his  vacation !  He  pounded  his  fist 
on  a  desk  and  vowed  he'd  fix  me  as  soon  as  he  got 
back, — and  then  he  added  that  he'd  fix  you,  too, 
as  soon  as  you  got  back." 

11  Mighty  interesting,"  said  Dave.  "  We'll  have 
to  watch  him  and  see  what  comes  of  it."  And 
there  the  subject  was  dropped.  But  it  was  to 
come  up  very  soon  again,  and  in  a  manner  not 
anticipated. 


CHAPTER  II 

WHAT  LAURA   HAD  TO  TELL 

The  train  was  nearly  an  hour  late,  and  during 
that  time  Dave  walked  impatiently  up  and  down 
the  railroad  platform.  Occasionally  he  thought 
of  school  matters,  and  his  friends  and  enemies, 
but  most  of  the  time  his  mind  was  on  his  sister. 
His  father  and  his  uncle  talked  together  and  did 
not  interrupt  his  meditations. 

At  last  a  far-away  whistle  proclaimed  the  com- 
ing of  the  Western  express,  and  Dave's  face  took 
on  a  more  eager  look  than  ever.  His  father 
gazed  into  his  clear  eyes  and  caught  him  by  the 
arm. 

"  I  trust  with  all  my  heart  you  find  Laura  all 
you  desire,"  he  said  in  a  low  tone,  and  Dave  nod- 
ded, for  his  throat  was  so  choked  up  that  he  could 
not  speak. 

The  long  train  rolled  in  and  the  passengers  for 
Crumville  began  to  alight.  "  There  she  is !  "  cried 
Dunston  Porter  and  ran  forward,  with  his  brother 
and  Dave  at  his  heels.  A  mist  seemed  to  come 
over  the  boy's  eyes  and  his  heart  thumped  furi- 


12    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

ously.  Then  he  saw  a  tall  girl  standing  before 
him,  her  eyes  looking  deeply  into  his  own. 

"  Laura,  this  is  Dave,"  he  heard  his  father  say. 
Then  the  girl  came  closer,  reached  out  her  arms, 
and  in  a  moment  more  brother  and  sister  were 
locked  in  the  closest  of  embraces.  It  was  such  a 
moment  Dave  had  longed  for — prayed  for — and 
all  on  the  instant  he  knew  that  Laura  was  what  he 
had  hoped  she  would  be  and  that  they  should  love 
each  other  with  the  sweetest  of  sisterly  and  broth- 
erly love  as  long  as  they  lived. 

Laura  was  handsome  rather  than  pretty.  She 
had  an  aristocratic  air  which  had  come  down  to 
her  from  her  mother  and  grandmother.  She  was 
stately  in  her  movements  and  her  voice  charmed 
Dave  the  moment  he  heard  it. 

"  Just  to  think,  you  are  really  and  truly  my 
brother !  "  she  exclaimed.     "  Isn't  it  wonderful !  " 

11  It's  wonderful  for  me  to  find  a  sister — and  a 
father,"  answered  Dave.  "  Sometimes  I  am  afraid 
I'll  wake  up  and  find  it  all  a  dream." 

"  When  I  got  papa's  telegram  I  thought  it  was 
a  dream.  One  of  the  cowboys  on  the  ranch 
brought  it  over  from  the  railroad  station.  At  first 
I  thought  there  must  be  some  mistake,  but  Mr. 
Endicott  said  there  couldn't  be,  and  so  I  arranged 
to  come  east  at  once.  A  gentleman  and  his  wife, 
who  had  been  stopping  at  the  ranch,  came  with  me 
as  far  as  Buffalo.     Oh,  I  really  couldn't  get  here 


WHAT  LAURA  HAD  TO  TELL  13 

fast  enough!  Did  you  get  the  telegram  I  sent 
from  Chicago?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  her  father.  "  And  the  one 
from  the  ranch,  too." 

"  I  want  to  hear  the  whole  of  the  wonderful 
story  just  as  soon  as  possible,"  continued  Laura. 
"  I  promised  Belle  Endicott  I'd  send  her  the  par- 
ticulars, for  she  is  dying  to  know.  Belle  is  my 
friend,  you  know.  Her  father  is  a  railroad  presi- 
dent, but  he  owns  that  ranch,  too,  and  they  go  out 
there  whenever  they  feel  like  it,  winter  or  summer. 
Belle  said  she'd  rather  read  my  next  letter  than 
a  story  book."     And  Laura  smiled  brightly. 

"  And  I  shall  want  to  hear  all  about  you  and 
your  travels,"  answered  Dave.  "  Oh,  I  guess 
we'll  have  enough  to  talk  about  to  last  a  week." 

The  party  of  four  were  soon  in  the  sleigh,  with 
Laura  and  Dave  on  the  front  seat.  The  youth 
showed  how  he  could  handle  the  team, .  and  in  a 
short  while  drove  up  to  the  stepping-stone  of  the 
Wadsworth  mansion.  At  once  there  was  a  rush 
from  within,  and  the  girl  was  introduced  to  those 
who  had  in  the  past  done  so  much  for  her  brother, 
and  those  who  were  Dave's  chums.  Jessie  was  a 
trifle  shy  at  first,  but  this  presently  wore  away,  and 
when  Laura  heard  what  the  Wadsworths  had  done 
for  her  brother  she  speedily  took  mother  and 
daughter  to  her  heart,  and  Jessie  and  she  became 
the  best  of  friends. 


H    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

It  was  assuredly  a  grand  gathering  around  the 
bountiful  table  which  the  Wadsworths  had  sup- 
plied, and  all  lingered  long,  listening  to  what  the 
various  members  of  the  Porter  family  had  to  tell : 
of  Dave's  doings  on  the  Potts  farm,  at  school, 
and  in  quest  of  his  relatives;  of  Dunston  Por- 
ter's treasure  hunt  in  the  South  Seas;  of  Mr. 
David  Porter's  trip  to  Europe  with  Laura; 
and  of  the  girl's  adventures  on  the  ranch  and 
elsewhere. 

"  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  I  have  met  two  boys 
who  knew  Dave,"  said  Laura,  during  the  course 
of  the  conversation.  "  One  was  that  scamp,  Nick 
Jasniff,  who  tried  to  make  himself  agreeable  in 
London." 

"  Yes,  I  know  about  him,"  answered  Dave. 
"  But  who  was  the  other?  " 

"  The  other  is  the  son  of  the  man  who  owns  the 
cattle  ranch  next  to  Mr.  Endicott's,  Mr.  Felix 
Merwell." 

"  Merwell !  "  cried  Dave,  Roger,  and  Phil  in  a 
breath. 

"  Yes.     Why  do  you  look  so  astonished?  " 

"  Do  you  mean  Link  Merwell's  father?  "  asked 
her  brother. 

"  Yes.  Link  came  out  there  just  a  few  days  be- 
fore I  started  for  the  East.  He  seemed  to  be  a 
nice  sort,  and  he  is  one  of  the  best  horseback  riders 
I  ever  saw." 


WHAT  LAURA  HAD  TO  TELL  15 

"  Did  you — er — go  out  with  him?  "  stammered 
Dave. 

"  Yes,  twice,  but  not  alone — Belle  was  along." 
Laura  looked  at  her  brother,  whose  face  was  a 
study.  "What  makes  you  look  so  queer?  You 
know  Mr.  Merwell,  don't  you?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  know  him,"  answered  Phil,  be- 
fore Dave  could  speak. 

"  We'd  like  to  know  less  of  him,"  added  Roger. 

"  Oh !  "  And  now  Laura's  face  showed  her 
wonder. 

'"  You  see,  it's  this  way,"  continued  the  senator's 
son,  thinking  it  might  be  difficult  for  Dave  to  ex- 
plain. "  Link  Merwell  tried  to  lord  it  over  a  lot 
of  us  fellows  at  Oak  Hall.  He's  a  domineering 
chap,  and  some  of  us  wouldn't  stand  for  it.  I  gave 
him  a  piece  of  my  mind  once,  and  so  did  Phil,  and 
Dave  did  more — gave  him  a  sound  thrashing." 

"Oh,  Dave,  did  you  really!"  Laura's  face 
showed  her  distress.  "  Why,  I — I  thought  he  was 
nice  enough.  Maybe  it  was  only  a  boyish  quar- 
rel," she  added,  hopefully.  "  I  know  boys  do  fight 
sometimes  with  hardly  a  reason  for  it." 

"  Dave  had  a  good  reason  for  hitting  Merwell," 
said  Phil.  "  The  best  reason  in  the  world."  He 
looked  at  Jessie  and  Mrs.  Wadsworth  and  the 
others.  "  I'll  not  spoil  this  gathering  by  saying 
what  it  was.  But  it  was  something  very  mean,  and 
Merwell  deserved  the  drubbing  he  got." 


16     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"Oh,  I  am  so  sorry!  That  is,  I  don't  mean 
I  am  sorry  Dave  thrashed  him — if  he  deserved  it — 
but  I  am  sorry  that  I — I  went  out  with  him,  and 
that  I — I  started  a  correspondence  with  him.  I 
thought  he  was  nice,  by  his  general  looks." 

"  Oh,  he  can  make  himself  look  well,  when  he 
dresses  up,"  said  Roger.  "  And  he  can  act  the 
gentleman  on  the  outside.  But  if  you  get  to  know 
him  thoroughly  you'll  find  him  a  different  sort." 

11 1  don't  wish  to  know  him  if  he's  that  kind," 
answered  Laura,  quickly.  "  But  I  thought  he  was 
all  right,  especially  as  he  was  the  son  of  the  owner 
of  the  next  ranch.  I  am  sorry  now  I  ever  spoke 
to  him." 

"And  you  have  been  writing  to  him?"  asked 
Dave.  "  I  thought  you  said  you  had  met  him  only 
a  few  days  before  you  came  away?  " 

"  So  I  did.  But  he  wanted  me  to  buy  something 
for  him  in  Chicago — a  lens  for  his  camera,  and 
asked  me  to  write  from  there,  and  I  did.  And, 
just  for  fun,  I  sent  him  two  letters  I  wrote  on  the 
train — along  with  some  letters  to  Belle  and  some 
other  folks  I  know.  I  did  it  to  pass  the  time, — 
so  I  wouldn't  know  how  long  it  was  taking  me  to 
get  here.  It  was  foolish  to  do  so,  and  it  will  teach 
me  a  lesson  to  be  careful  about  writing  in  the 
future." 

"  I'm  sorry  you  wrote  to  him,"  answered  Dave, 
soberly.     But  how  sorry  he  was  to  be,  and  how 


WHAT  LAURA  HAD  TO  TELL  17 

distressed  his  sister  was  to  become,  he  was  still 
to  learn. 

Not  further  to  mar  the  joy  of  the  occasion  Link 
Merwell's  name  was  dropped,  and  Roger  and  Phil 
told  of  some  funny  initiations  into  the  secret  so- 
ciety at  Oak  Hall,  which  set  everybody  to  laugh- 
ing, and  then  Dunston  Porter  related  the  particu- 
lars of  a  hunt  after  bears  he  had  once  made  in  the 
Rockies.  Thus  the  afternoon  and  evening  wore 
away  swiftly  and  all  too  soon  it  was  time  to  retire. 
Laura  was  given  a  room  next  to  that  occupied  by 
Dave,  and  long  after  the  rest  of  the  house  was 
quiet  brother  and  sister  sat  by  a  window,  looking 
out  at  the  moonlight  on  the  snow  and  discussing  the 
past. 

"  You  look  very  much  like  father,"  said  Laura, 
"  and  much  like  Uncle  Dunston,  too.  No  wonder 
that  old  sailor,  Billy  Dill,  thought  he  had  seen  you 
when  he  only  saw  Uncle  Dunston." 

"  And  father  tells  me  you  look  like  mother," 
answered  Dave,  softly.  "  I  do  not  remember  her, 
but  if  she  looked  like  you  she  must  have  been  very 
handsome,"  and  Dave  smiled  and  brushed  a  stray 
lock  back  from  his  sister's  brow. 

"  It  is  too  bad  she  cannot  see  us  now,  Dave — 
how  happy  it  would  make  her !  I  have  missed  her 
so  much — it  is  no  easy  thing  to  get  along  without 
a  mother's  care,  is  it? — or  a  father's  care,  either. 
Perhaps  if  mamma  were  alive  I'd  be  different  in 


18     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

some  things.  I  shouldn't  be  so  careless  in  what  I 
do — in  making  friends  with  that  Link  Merwell, 
for  instance,  and  sending  him  letters."  Laura 
looked  genuinely  distressed  as  she  uttered  the  last 
words. 

"  Well,  you  didn't  know  him,  so  you  are  not  to 
blame.  But  I  shouldn't  send  him  any  more 
letters." 

"  You  can  depend  upon  it  I  won't." 

"  He  is  the  kind  who  would  laugh  at  you  for 
doing  it,  and  make  fun  of  you  to  all  his  friends." 

"  He'll  not  get  another  line  from  me,  and  if  he 
writes  I'll  return  the  letters,"  answered  Laura, 
firmly. 

"  Did  he  say  when  he  was  going  back  to  Oak 
Hall?" 

"  Inside  of  two  weeks.  He  said  he  had  had  a 
little  trouble  with  a  teacher,  and  the  master  of  the 
school  had  advised  him  to  take  a  short  vacation  and 
give  the  matter  a  chance  to  blow  over." 

Laura  had  arrived  at  Crumville  on  Thursday, 
and  it  was  decided  that  Dave,  Roger,  and  Phil 
should  not  return  to  Oak  Hall  until  the  following 
Monday.  On  Friday  and  Saturday  the  young 
folks  went  sleighing  and  skating,  Jessie  being  one 
of  the  party,  and  on  Sunday  the  entire  household 
attended  church.  It  was  a  service  into  which  Dave 
entered  with  all  his  heart,  and  he  thanked  God 
from  the  bottom  of  his  soul  that  at  last  his  sister, 


WHAT  LAURA  HAD  TO  TELL  19 

as  well  as  his  father  and  his  uncle,  had  been  re- 
stored to  him. 

"  After  I  go  back  to  boarding  school  where  are 
you  and  Laura  and  Uncle  Dunston  going  to  stay?  " 
questioned  Dave  of  his  father. 

Mr.  Porter  smiled  faintly.  "  I  have  a  little 
secret  about  that,  Dave,"  he  answered.  "  I'll  tell 
you  later — after  everything  is  ripe." 

"  I  know  the  Wadsworths  would  hate  to  have 
me  leave  them — and  Professor  Potts  won't  want 
me  to  go  either." 

"  Well,  you  wait,  Dave, — and  see  what  comes," 
answered  his  father;  and  with  this  the  lad  had  to  be 
content. 

Bright  and  early  Monday  morning  the  three 
boys  had  breakfast  and  started  for  the  depot,  to 
take  the  train  for  Oakdale,  the  nearest  town  to 
Oak  Hall.  Laura,  Jessie,  and  Mr.  David  Porter 
went  along  to  see  them  off. 

"  Now,  Dave,  I  want  to  see  you  make  the  most 
of  this  term  at  school,"  said  Mr.  Porter.  "  Now 
you  have  Laura  and  me,  you  won't  have  so  much 
to  worry  about." 

"I'll  do  my  level  best,  father,"  he  answered. 

"  We  want  you  to  come  out  at  the  top  of  the 
class,"  said  Laura. 

"  And  Dave  can  do  it  too — I  know  he  can,"  re- 
marked Jessie,  and  gave  him  a  sunny  smile  of 
encouragement. 


20    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"How  about  us  poor  chaps?"  asked  Roger. 
"  Can't  we  come  in  somewhere?  " 

11  Yes,  you  must  come  in  right  after  Dave,"  an- 
swered Laura,  and  this  made  everybody  laugh. 

"  The  higher  we  get  in  school  the  harder  the 
work  becomes,"  came  from  Phil.  "  But  I  am  go- 
ing to  peg  away  at  it — provided  the  other  fellows 
will  let  me." 

11  Phil  always  was  very  studious,"  said  Dave, 
with  an  old-time  grin  spreading  over  his  face. 
"  He'd  rather  study  a  problem  in  geometry  or 
translate  Latin  than  read  a  story  book  or  play 
baseball;  wouldn't  you,  Phil?  " 

"  Not  much !  and  you  know  it.  But  if  a  fellow 
has  got  to  grind,  why " 

"  He  can  grind — and  play  baseball,  too,"  added 
Mr.  Porter.  "  My  parting  advice  is:  when  you 
study,  study  for  all  you  are  worth,  and  when  you 
play,  play  for  all  you  are  worth." 

"  Here  comes  the  train !  "  cried  Laura,  and  turn- 
ing, she  kissed  her  brother.  "  Good-bye,  Roger; 
good-bye,  Phil!" 

"  Good-by!  "  came  from  the  others,  and  a  gen- 
eral handshaking  followed.  Then  the  three  chums 
ran  for  the  train,  got  aboard,  and  were  off  for 
school  once  more. 


CHAPTER  III 

ON  THE  WAY  TO  SCHOOL 

"  There  is  one  thing  I've  forgotten  to  mention 
to  you,"  said  Phil,  as  the  train  rolled  on  its  way  and 
Crumville  was  left  far  behind.  "  That  is  that  this 
term  Doctor  Clay  has  offered  a  special  set  of  prizes 
to  the  students  standing  highest  in  various  sub- 
jects. There  is  a  prize  for  history,  another  for 
Latin,  and  a  third  for  English  literature  and  theme- 
writing.  In  addition  there  is  to  be  a  special  prize 
for  the  student  who  can  write  the  best  paper  on 
1  The  Past  and  Future  of  our  Country.'  This  last 
contest  is  open  only  to  those  who  stand  above  the 
eighty  per  cent,  level  in  their  classes." 

"  That's  interesting,"  answered  Dave.  "  How 
many  reach  that  level,  do  you  think,  Phil?" 

"  Not  more  than  thirty  all  told,  and  of  those 
I  don't  believe  more  than  twenty  will  send  in 
papers." 

"  Dave,  you  ought  to  try,"  said  Roger.  "  You 
were  always  good  at  composition." 

"  So  are  you,  Roger." 

"  I'm  not  as  good  as  you,  and  I  know  it.     I  like 


22    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

history  more  than  anything  else,  and  I  guess  I'll 
try  for  that  prize." 

"  Well,  what  is  the  past  of  our  country  but  his- 
tory?" continued  Dave,  with  a  smile. 

"  That  part  might  be  easy;  but  what  of  the  fu- 
ture?    I'm  no  good  at  prophesying." 

"  Oh,  couldn't  you  speak  of  the  recent  inven- 
tions and  of  what  is  coming — marvelous  sub- 
marine boats,  airships,  wireless  telegraphy,  won- 
derful cures  by  means  of  up-to-date  surgery, 
and  then  of  the  big  cities  of  the  West,  of  the 
new  railroads  stretching  out  everywhere,  and 
of  the  fast  ocean  liners,  and  the  Panama  Canal, 
and  the  irrigation  of  the  Western  dry  lands, 
and " 

"  Hold  on,  Dave !  "  cried  Phil.  "  You  are  giv- 
ing Roger  all  your  ammunition.  Put  that  in  your 
own  paper." 

"  Oh,  there's  a  whole  lot  more,"  was  the  smiling 
answer.  "  The  thirty-  and  forty-storied  buildings 
in  our  big  cities,  the  underground  railways,  the 
tubes  under  the  rivers,  the  tremendous  suspension 
bridges,  the  automobile  carriages  and  business 
trucks, — not  to  mention  the  railroad  trains  that  are 
to  run  on  one  rail  at  a  speed  of  a  hundred  miles 
an  hour.  Oh,  there  are  lots  of  things — if  one  only 
stops  to  think  of  them." 

"  The  prize  is  yours,  Dave !  "  exclaimed  the 
senator's  son.     "  You've  mentioned  more  in  three 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  SCHOOL  23 

minutes  than  I  would  have  thought  of  in  three 
weeks.    I'll  stick  to  history." 

"  And  I'll  stick  to  English  literature — I'm  pretty 
well  up  on  that,  thank  goodness !  "  said  the  ship- 
owner's son. 

After  that  the  talk  drifted  to  other  things — of 
the  doings  of  the  students  at  Oak  Hall,  and  of  how 
Job  Haskers,  one  of  the  assistant  teachers,  had 
caught  some  of  the  lads  playing  a  trick  on  Pop 
Swingly,  the  janitor,  and  punished  them  severely 
for  it. 

"  The  trick  didn't  amount  to  much,"  said  Phil, 
"  and  I  rather  believe  Swingly  enjoyed  it.  But  old 
Haskers  was  in  a  bilious  mood  and  made  the  fel- 
lows stay  in  after  school  for  three  days." 

"  Were  you  in  it?  "  asked  Dave. 

"Yes;  and  all  of  us  have  vowed  to  get  square 
on  Haskers." 

"  It's  a  wonder  Doctor  Clay  doesn't  get  rid  of 
Haskers — he  is  so  unpopular,"  was  Roger's  com- 
ment. 

"  Haskers  is  a  fine  teacher,  that's  why  he  is  kept. 
But  I  like  Mr.  Dale  much  better,"  said  Dave. 

"  Oh,  everybody  does !  " 

"  All  but  Link  Merwell,"  said  Phil.  "  Isn't  it 
strange,  he  seems  to  get  along  very  well  with 
Haskers." 

"  Two  of  a  kind  maybe,"  returned  the  senator's 
son. 


24    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

After  a  long  run  the  Junction  was  reached, 
where  the  boys  had  to  change  cars  for  Oakdale. 
They  got  off  and  found  they  had  twenty-five  min- 
utes to  wait. 

"  Remember  the  time  we  were  here  and  had 
the  trouble  with  Isaac  Pludding?  "  asked  Roger. 

"  I'll  never  forget  it,"  answered  Dave,  with  a 
grin.  u  By  the  way,  as  we  have  time  to  spare  let 
us  go  around  to  Denman's  restaurant  and  have  a 
cup  of  chocolate  and  a  piece  of  pie.  That  car  was 
so  cold  it  chilled  me." 

Growing  boys  are  always  hungry,  so,  despite  the 
generous  breakfast  they  had  had,  they  walked  over 
to  the  restaurant  named.  The  man  who  kept  it 
remembered  them  well  and  smiled  broadly  as  they 
took  seats  at  a  table. 

"  On  your  way  to  school,  I  suppose,"  he  said, 
as  he  served  them.  "  Ain't  following  up  Ike 
Pludding  this  trip,  are  you  ?  " 

"  Hardly,"  answered  Dave.  "  What  do  you 
know  of  him?  " 

"  I  know  he  is  about  down  and  out,"  answered 
Amos  Denman.     "  And  served  him  right  too." 

The  boys  were  about  to  leave  the  restaurant 
when  Dave  chanced  to  glance  in  one  of  the  win- 
dows. There,  on  a  big  platter,  was  an  inviting 
heap  of  chicken  salad,  above  which  was  a  sign 
announcing  it  was  for  sale  at  thirty  cents  a 
pint. 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  SCHOOL  25 

"  Let  me  try  that  salad,  will  you?  "  Dave  asked. 

"  Certainly.  Want  to  take  some  along?  "  And 
Amos  Denman  passed  over  a  forkful. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  chicken 
salad?"  questioned  Roger. 

"  Oh,  I  thought  we  might  want  to  celebrate  our 
return  by  a  little  feast,  Roger." 

11  Hurrah!  just  the  thing!  "  ejaculated  the  sena- 
tor's son.  "Is  it  good?  It  is?  All  right,  I'll 
take  a  quart." 

"  I'll  take  a  quart,  too,"  said  Dave.  "  I  guess 
you  can  put  it  all  together." 

"Are  those  mince  pies  fresh?"  asked  Phil, 
pointing  to  some  in  a  case. 

"  Just  out  of  the  oven.     Feel  of  them." 

"  Then  I'll  take  two." 

In  the  end  the  three  youths  purchased  quite  a 
number  of  things  from  the  restaurant  keeper,  who 
tied  up  the  articles  in  pasteboard  boxes  wrapped 
in  brown  paper.  Then  the  lads  had  to  run  for  the 
train  and  were  the  last  on  board. 

It  had  begun  to  snow  again  and  the  white  flakes 
were  coming  down  thickly  when  the  train  rolled 
into  the  neat  little  station  at  Oakdale.  The  boys 
were  the  only  ones  to  alight  and  they  looked 
around  eagerly  to  see  if  the  school  carryall  was 
waiting  for  them. 

"  Hello,  fellows !  "  cried  a  voice  from  the  end 
of  the  platform,  and  Joseph  Beggs,  usually  called 


26    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Buster  because  of  his  fatness,  waddled  up. 
"  Thought  you'd  be  on  this  train." 

"  How  are  you,  Buster?  "  answered  Dave,  shak- 
ing hands.  "  My,  but  aren't  you  getting  thin !  " 
And  he  looked  the  fat  boy  over  with  a  grin. 

"  It's  worry  that's  doing  it,"  answered  Buster, 
calmly.  "  Haven't  slept  a  night  since  you  went 
away,  Dave.  So  you  really  found  your  dad  and 
your  sister!  Sounds  like  a  regular  six-act-and- 
fourteen-scene  drama.  We'll  have  to  write  it  up 
and  get  Horsehair  to  star  in  it.  First  Act :  Found 
on  the  Railroad  Tracks;  Second  Act:  The  Faithful 
Farm  Boy;  Third  Act:  The  King  of  the  School; 
Fourth  Act " 

11  Waiting  for  the  Stage,"  interrupted  Dave. 
"  Keep  it,  Buster,  until  we're  on  the  way  to  Oak 
Hall.     Did  you  come  down  alone  ?  " 

"  Not  much  he  didn't  come  down  alone !  "  cried 
a  voice  at  Dave's  elbow,  and  Maurice  Hamilton, 
always  called  Shadow,  appeared.  Maurice  was  as 
tall  and  thin  as  Buster  was  stout.  "  Let  me  feel 
your  hand  and  know  you  are  really  here,  Dave," 
he  went  on.  "  Why,  your  story  is — is — what  shall 
I  say?" 

"  Great,"  suggested  Roger. 

"  Marvelous,"  added  Phil. 

"  Out  of  sight,"  put  in  Buster  Beggs. 

"  All  good — and  that  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story. 
One  time  there  was  a " 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  SCHOOL  27 

"  Shadow — so  early  in  the  day!  "  cried  the  sena- 
tor's son,  reproachfully. 

11  Oh,  you  can't  shut  him  off,"  exploded  Buster. 
"  He's  been  telling  chestnuts  ever  since  we  left  the 
Hall." 

"  This  isn't  a  chestnut,  it's  a " 

"  Hickory  nut,"  finished  Phil;  "  hard  to  crack — 
as  the  darky  said  of  the  china  egg  he  wanted  to 
fry." 

"  It  isn't  a  chestnut  or  a  hickory  nut  either," 
expostulated  the  story-teller  of  the  school. 
"It's  a  brand-new  one.  One  time  there  was  a 
county " 

"If  it's  new  you  ought  to  have  it  copyrighted, 
Shadow,"  said  Roger. 

"  Perhaps  a  trade-mark  might  do,"  added  Dave. 
"  You  can  get  one  for " 

"  Say,  don't  you  want  to  hear  this  story?"  de- 
manded Shadow. 

"  Yes,  yes,  go  on !  "  was  the  chorus. 

"  Now  we've  had  the  first  installment  we'll  have 
to  have  the  finish  or  die,"  continued  Phil, 
tragically. 

"  Well,  one  time  there  was  a  county  fair,  with  a 
number  of  side  shows,  snakes,  acrobats,  and  such 
things.  One  tent  had  a  big  sign  over  it,  '  The 
Greatest  and  Most  Marvelous  Wonder  of  the  Age 
— A  man  who  plays  the  piano  better  with  his  feet 
than  most  skilled  musicians  can  play  with  their 


28    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

hands.  Admission  10  cents.'  That  sign  attracted 
a  big  crowd  and  brought  in  a  lot  of  money.  When 
the  folks  got  inside  a  man  came  out,  sat  down  in 
front  of  a  piano  that  played  with  paper  rolls,  and 
pumped  the  thing  for  all  he  was  worth  with  his 
feet!" 

"Oh,  what  a  sell!"  roared  Phil.  "Shadow, 
that's  the  worst  you  ever  told." 

"  Quite  a  feat,"  said  Dave. 

"  But  painful  to  the  understanding,"  added 
Roger.  He  looked  around.  "  Hello,  here's 
Horsehair  at  last." 

He  referred  to  Jackson  Lemond,  the  driver  for 
the  school,  who  was  always  called  Horsehair  be- 
cause of  the  hairs  which  invariably  clung  to  his 
clothing.  The  driver  was  coming  down  the  main 
street  of  the  town  with  a  package  of  harness  dress- 
ing in  his  hand. 

"  Had  to  git  this,"  he  explained.  "  How  de  do, 
young  gents?    All  ready  to  go  to  the  Hall?  " 

"  Horsehair,  we're  going  to  write  a  play  about 
Dave's  discoveries,"  said  Buster.  "  We  want 
you  to  star  in  it.  We  know  you  can  make  a 
hit." 

"  No  starrin'  fer  me,"  answered  the  driver,  who 
had  once  played  minor  parts  in  a  barnstorming 
theatrical  company.     "  I'll  stick  to  the  hosses." 

"  But  think  of  it,  Horsehair,"  went  on  Buster. 
"  We'll  have  you  eaten  up  by  cannibals  of  the 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  SCHOOL  29 

South  Seas,  frozen  to  death  in  Norway  snowstorms, 
shooting  bears  as  big  as  elephants,  and " 

"  Oh,  Buster,  do  let  up !  "  cried  Dave.  "  None 
of  those  things  are  true,  and  you  know  it.  Come 
ahead,  I  am  anxious  to  see  the  rest  of  the  fel- 
lows," and  Dave  ran  for  the  carryall,  with  his 
dress-suit  case  in  one  hand  and  one  of  the  packages 
from  the  restaurant  in  the  other. 

Soon  the  crowd  had  piled  into  the  turnout,  Phil 
on  the  front  seat  beside  the  driver,  and  away  they 
went.  The  carryall  had  been  put  on  runners  and 
ran  as  easily  as  a  cutter,  having  two  powerful 
horses  to  pull  it. 

All  of  the  boys  were  in  high  spirits  and  as  they 
sped  over  the  snow  they  sang  and  cracked  jokes 
to  their  hearts'  content.  They  did  not  forget  the 
old  school  song,  sung  to  the  tune  of  "  Auld  Lang 
Syne,"  and  sang  this  with  a  vigor  that  tested  their 
lungs  to  the  uttermost : 

"Oak  Hall  we  never  shall  forget, 

No  matter  where  we  roam; 
It  is  the  very  best  of  schools, 

To  us  it's  just  like  home  ! 
Then  give  three  cheers,  and  let  them  ring 

Throughout  this  world  so  wide, 
To  let  the  people  know  that  we 

Elect  to  here  abide  ! " 

"  By  the  way,  how  is  Gus  Plum  getting  along 
these  days?"  asked  Dave  of  Shadow  Hamilton, 
during  a  pause  in  the  fun.    He  referred,  as  my  old 


30    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

readers  know,  to  a  youth  who  in  days  gone  by  had 
been  a  great  bully  at  the  Hall. 

"  Gus  Plum  needs  watching,"  was  the  low  an- 
swer, so  that  none  of  the  other  boys  might  hear. 
"  He  is  better  in  some  ways,  Dave,  and  much  worse 
in  others." 

"  How  do  you  mean,  Shadow?  " 

"  I  can't  explain  here — but  I'll  do  it  in  private 
some  day,"  answered  Shadow;  and  then  the  carry- 
all swept  up  to  the  school  steps  and  a  number  of 
students  ran  forth  from  the  building  to  greet  the 
new  arrivals. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   FUN  OF  A   NIGHT 

As  my  old  readers  know,  Oak  Hall  was  a  large 
structure  of  brick  and  stone,  built  in  the  shape  of 
a  broad  cross,  with  wide  hallways  running  from 
north  to  south  and  east  to  west.  All  of  the  class- 
rooms were  on  the  ground  floor,  as  were  also  the 
dining  hall  and  kitchen,  and  the  head  master's 
private  office.  On  the  second  floor  were  the  ma- 
jority of  the  dormitories,  furnished  to  hold  four, 
six,  and  eight  pupils  each.  The  school'  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  wide  campus,  running  down  to  the 
Leming  River,  where  was  located  a  good-sized 
boathouse.  Some  distance  away  from  the  river 
was  a  neat  gymnasium,  and,  to  the  rear  of  the 
school,  were  commodious  stables  and  sheds.  At 
the  four  corners  of  the  campus  grew  great  clumps 
of  giant  oaks,  and  two  oaks  stood  like  sentinels 
on  either  side  of  the  gateway — thus  giving  the 
Hall  its  name. 

As  Dave  leaped  to  the  piazza  of  the  school  he 
was  met  by  Sam  Day,  another  of  his  old  chums, 
who  gave  his  hand  a  squeeze  that  made  him  wince. 

31 


32    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Close  by  was  Chip  Macklin,  once  the  toady  of 
Gus  Plum,  but  now  "  quite  a  decent  sort,"  as  most 
of  the  lads  would  say.  Further  in  the  rear  was 
Gus  Plum,  looking  pale  and  troubled.  Evidently 
something  was  wrong  with  him,  as  Shadow  had 
intimated. 

"  Sorry  I  couldn't  get  down  to  the  depot,"  said 
Sam.  "  But  I  had  some  examples  in  algebra  to  do 
and  they  kept  me  until  after  the  carryall  had  left." 

There  was  more  handshaking,  and  Dave  did  not 
forget  Macklin  or  Gus  Plum.  When  he  took  the 
hand  of  the  former  bully  he  found  it  icy  cold  and 
he  noticed  that  it  trembled  considerably. 

"How  are  you,  Gus?"  he  said,  pleasantly. 

"  Oh,  I'm  fair,"  was  the  hesitating  answer. 
"  I — I  am  glad  to  see  you  back,  and  doubly  glad 
to  know  you  found  your  father." 

"And  sister,  Gus;  don't  forget  that." 

11  Yes,  and  your  sister."  And  then  Gus  Plum 
let  Dave's  hand  fall  and  stepped  back  into  the 
crowd  and  vanished.  Dave  saw  that  he  had  some- 
thing on  his  mind,  and  he  wondered  more  than 
ever  what  Shadow  might  have  to  tell  him. 

Soon  Doctor  Clay  appeared,  a  man  well  along 
in  years,  with  gray,  penetrating  eyes  and  a  face 
that  could  be  either  kindly  or  stern  as  the  occasion 
demanded. 

a  As  the  boys  say,  it  is  all  very  wonderful,  and 
I  am  rejoiced  for  your  sake,   Porter,"  he  said. 


THE  FUN  OF  A  NIGHT  33 

"  Your  trip  to  Norway  certainly  turned  out  well, 
and  you  need  not  begrudge  the  time  lost  from 
school.  Now,  with  your  mind  free,  you  can  go  at 
your  studies  with  vigor,  and  such  a  bright  pupil  as 
you  ought  to  be  able  to  make  up  all  the  ground 
lost." 

11 1  intend  to  try  my  best,  sir,"  answered  Dave. 

The  only  lad  at  Oak  Hall  who  did  not  seem  to 
enjoy  Dave's  reappearance  was  Nat  Poole.  The 
dudish  youth  from  Crumville,  whose  father  had, 
in  times  past,  caused  old  Caspar  Potts  so  much 
trouble,  kept  himself  aloof,  and  when  he  met  Dave 
in  a  hallway  he  turned  his  head  the  other  way  and 
pretended  not  to  notice. 

"  Nat  Poole  certainly  feels  sore,"  said  Dave  to 
Ben  Basswood,  his  old  friend  from  home,  when 
Ben  came  to  meet  him,  having  been  kept  in  a  class- 
room by  Job  Haskers. 

11  Yes,  ,he  is  sore  on  everybody,"  answered  Ben. 
"  Well,  he  is  having  a  hard  time  of  it,  seems  to 
me.  First  Chip  Macklin  cut  him,  and  then  Gus 
Plum.  Then  he  got  mixed  up  with  Nick  Jasniff, 
and  Jasniff  had  to  run  away.  Then  he  and  Link 
Merwell  became  chums,  and  you  know  what  hap- 
pened to  both.  Now  Merwell  is  away  and  Nat  is 
about  left  to  himself.  He  is  a  bigger  dude  than 
ever,  and  spends  a  lot  of  money  that  the  doctor 
doesn't  know  anything  about,  and  yet  he  can't 
make  himself  popular." 


34    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  money  doesn't  count  at  Oak 
Hall,  Ben." 

"  I  know  you  feel  that  way,  Dave,  and  it  does 
you  credit.  I  guess  now  you  are  about  as  rich  as 
anybody,  and  if  money  did  the  trick " 

"  I  want  to  stand  on  my  merits,  not  on  my 
pocketbook.  Perhaps  Nat  would  make  friends  if 
he  wasn't  forever  showing  off  and  telling  how 
wealthy  his  father  is." 

"  I  believe  you  there." 

"  By  the  way,  Ben,  do  you  know  anything 
about  Gus  Plum  ?  There  seems  to  be  a  big  change 
in  him." 

"  There  is  a  change,  but  I  can't  tell  you  what  it 
is.  Shadow  Hamilton  knows.  He  and  Plum 
came  home  late  one  night,  both  having  been  to 
Oakdale,  and  Shadow  was  greatly  excited  and 
greatly  worried.  Some  of  us  fellows  wanted  to 
know  what  it  was  about,  but  Shadow  refused  to 
say  a  word,  excepting  that  he  was  going  to  let  you 
know  some  time,  because  you  appeared  to  have 
some  influence  over  Gus." 

Ben's  words  surprised  Dave,  coming  so  shortly 
after  what  Shadow  himself  had  said.  He  was 
on  the  point  of  asking  Ben  some  more  questions, 
but  reconsidered  the  matter  and  said  nothing.  He 
could  wait  until  such  a  time  as  Shadow  felt  in  the 
humor  to  unburden  his  mind. 

Dave  and  his  chums  roomed  in  dormitories  Nos. 


THE  FUN  OF  A  NIGHT  35 

11  and  12,  two  large  and  well-lighted  apartments, 
with  a  connecting  door  between.  Not  far  away 
was  dormitory  No.  13,  which  was  now  occupied 
by  Nat  Poole  and  some  others,  including  Link 
Merwell  when  that  individual  was  at  Oak  Hall. 
One  bed  was  vacant,  that  which  Nick  Jasniff  had 
left  so  hurriedly. 

In  a  quiet  way  the  news  was  spread  that  Dave 
and  his  chums  had  provided  some  good  things  for 
a  feast,  and  that  night  about  twenty  boys  gathered 
in  No.  11  and  No.  12  to  celebrate  "  the  return  of 
our  leader,"  as  Luke  Watson  expressed  it.  Luke 
was  on  hand  with  his  banjo  and  his  guitar,  to  add 
a  little  music  if  wanted. 

"  Say,  boys,  we  couldn't  have  chosen  a  better 
time  for  this  sort  of  thing  than  to-night,"  an- 
nounced Sam  Day.  "  Haskers  has  gone  to  town 
and  Mr.  Dale  is  paying  a  visit  to  a  neighbor;  I 
heard  the  doctor  tell  Mr.  Dale  he  was  tired  and 
was  going  to  bed  early,  and  best  of  all  Jim  Murphy 
says  he  won't  hear  a  thing,  provided  we  set  out  a 
big  piece  of  mince  pie  for  him."  Murphy  was 
monitor  of  the  halls. 

"  Good  for  Jim!  "  cried  Dave.  "  I'll  cut  that 
piece  of  pie  myself,"  and  he  did,  and  placed  it 
where  he  felt  certain  that  the  monitor  would 
find  it. 

The  boys  were  allowed  to  do  as  they  pleased 
until   half-past  nine,   and   they   sang  songs   and 


36    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

cracked  jokes  innumerable.  But  then  the  monitor 
stuck  his  head  in  at  the  door. 

"  Got  to  be  a  little  quiet  from  now  on,"  he  said, 
in  a  hoarse  whisper  and  with  a  broad  grin  on  his 
face.  "  I'm  awfully  deaf  to-night,  but  the  doctor 
will  wake  up  if  there's  too  much  racket." 

"  Did  you  get  the  pie?  "  questioned  Dave. 

"  Not  yet,  and  I'll  take  it  now,  if  you  don't 
mind." 

"  Jim,  do  you  mean  to  say  you  didn't  get  that 
pie?"  demanded  Dave. 

"Oh,  he's  fooling,"  interrupted  Phil.  "He 
wants  a  second  piece." 

"  That's  it,"  came  from  Shadow.  "  Puts  me  in 
mind  of  a  story  about  a  boy  who " 

"  Never  mind  the  story  now,  Shadow,"  inter- 
rupted Dave.  "  Tell  me  honestly,  Jim,  whether 
you  got  the  pie  or  not?  Of  course  you  can  have 
another  piece,  or  some  chicken  salad " 

"  I  didn't  get  any  pie, — or  anything  else,"  an- 
swered the  monitor. 

"  I  put  it  on  the  bottom  of  the  stand  in  the  upper 
hallway." 

"  Nothing  there  when  I  went  to  look." 

"  Then  somebody  took  it  on  the  sly,"  said  Roger. 
"  For  I  was  with  Dave  when  he  put  it  there.  Any- 
body in  these  rooms  guilty  ?<"  And  he  gazed 
around  sternly. 

All  of  the  boys  shook  their  heads.     Then  of  a 


THE  FUN  OF  A  NIGHT  37 

sudden  a  delicate  youth  who  looked  like  a  girl 
arose  in  astonishment  and  held  up  his  hands. 

"Well,  I  declare  1"  he  lisped. 

"What  now,  Polly?"  asked  Phil. 

"  I  wonder  if  it  is  really  possible,"  went  on 
Bertram  Vane. 

"  What  possible?  "  questioned  Dave. 

"  Why,  when  I  was  coming  through  the  hall 
a  while  ago  I  almost  ran  into  Nat  Poole.  He  had 
something  in  one  hand,  under  his  handkerchief, 
and  as  I  passed  him  I  really  thought  I  smelt  mince 
pie!" 

"  Nat  Poole !  "  cried  several. 

"  Oh,  the  sneak !  "  burst  out  Roger.  "  He  must 
have  been  watching  Dave.  Maybe  he  heard  us 
promise  Murphy  the  pie." 

"  Bad  luck  to  him  if  he  stole  what  was  coming  to 
me,"  muttered  the  monitor.  "  I  hope  the  pie 
choked  him." 

"  If  Nat  Poole  took  the  pie  we'll  fix  him  for 
it,"  said  Dave.  "  Just  you  leave  it  to  me." 
Then  he  got  another  portion  of  the  dainty 
and  handed  it  to  the  monitor,  who  disappeared 
immediately. 

"  What  will  you  do?  "  questioned  Roger. 

"  Since  Nat  has  had  some  pie  I  think  I'll  treat 
him  to  some  chicken  salad,"  was  the  reply. 
"  Nothing  like  being  generous,  you  know." 

"  Why,  Dave,  you  don't  mean  you  are  going 


38    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

to  let  Nat  Poole  have  any  of  this  nice  salad!"  cried 
Phil.     "  I'd  see  him  in  Guinea  first!  " 

"  He  shall  have  some — after  it  has  been  prop- 
erly doctored." 

"  Eh  ?  Oh,  I  see,"  and  the  shipowner's  son  be- 
gan to  grin.  "  All  right  then.  But  doctor  it 
good." 

"  I  shall  make  no  mistake  about  that,"  returned 
Dave. 

While  Shadow  was  telling  a  story  of  a  little  boy 
who  had  fallen  down  a  well  and  wanted  somebody 
to  "  put  the  staircase  down  "  so  he  could  climb  up, 
Dave  went  to  a  small  medicine  closet  which  he 
had  purchased  during  his  previous  term  at  Oak 
Hall.  From  this  he  got  various  bottles  and  pow- 
ders and  began  to  "  doctor  "  a  nice  portion  of  the 
chicken  salad. 

"  Say,  Dave,  that  won't  hurt  anybody,  will  it?  " 
asked  Ben,  who  saw  the  movement. 

"  It  may  hurt  Nat  Poole,  Ben." 

"  Oh,  you  don't  want  to  injure  him." 

"  This  won't  do  any  harm.  I  am  going  to  give 
him  what  Professor  Potts  called  green  peppers. 
Once,  when  he  was  particularly  talkative,  he  re- 
lated how  he  had  played  the  joke  on  a  fellow-stu- 
dent at  college.  It  won't  injure  Nat  Poole,  but  if 
he  eats  this  salad  there  will  surely  be  fun,  I  can 
promise  you  that." 

"How  are  you  going  to  get  it  to  him?" 


THE  FUN  OF  A  NIGHT  39 

"  Take  it  to  him  myself." 

"  You !  He'll  be  suspicious  at  once  and  won't 
touch  it." 

11  Perhaps  not — we'll  wait  and  see." 

When  the  feast  was  practically  at  an  end,  Dave 
put  the  doctored  salad  in  a  dessert  dish,  topping 
it  with  some  that  was  sweet  and  good.  On  all  he 
laid  some  fancy  crackers  which  one  of  the  boys 
had  contributed. 

"  Now,  here  is  where  I  try  the  trick,"  he  said, 
and  put  on  a  sweater,  leaving  the  upper  portion 
partly  over  his  face.  Then,  leaving  his  dormitory, 
he  tiptoed  his  way  to  No.  13  and  pushed  open  the 
door  softly. 

As  he  had  surmised,  Nat  Poole  had  gone  to  bed 
and  had  just  fallen  asleep.  Going  noiselessly  to 
his  side,  Dave  bent  over  him  and  whispered  into 
his  ear: 

"  Here,  Nat,  is  something  I  stole  for  you  from 
that  crowd  that  was  having  the  feast.  Eat  it  up 
and  don't  tell  the  other  fellows." 

"  Eh,  what?  The  feast?  "  stammered  Nat,  and 
took  the  plate  in  his  hand.     "  Who  are  you?  " 

"  Hush !  "  whispered  Dave,  warningly.  "  Don't 
wake  the  others.  I  stole  it  for  you.  Eat  it  up. 
I'll  tell  you  how  I  did  it  in  the  morning.  It's  a 
joke  on  Dave  Porter !  "  And  then  Dave  glided 
away  from  the  bed  and  out  of  the  room  like  a 
ghost,  shutting  the  door  noiselessly  after  him. 


40    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Half  asleep,  Nat  Poole  was  completely  be- 
wildered by  what  he  heard.  In  the  semi-dark- 
ness he  could  not  imagine  who  had  brought  the 
dish  full  of  stuff.  But  he  remembered  the  words, 
"eat  it  up"  and  "don't  tell  the  other  fellows" 
and  "  a  joke  on  Dave  Porter."  That  was  enough 
for  Nat.  He  sat  up,  looked  at  the  fancy  crackers 
and  the  salad,  and  smacked  his  lips. 

"  Must  have  been  one  of  our  old  crowd,"  he 
mused.  "  Maybe  Shingle  or  Remney.  Well,  it's 
a  joke  on  Dave  Porter  right  enough,  and  better 
than  taking  that  pie  he  left  for  Murphy."  And 
then  he  began  to  munch  the  crackers  and  eat  the 
salad,  using  a  tiny  fork  Dave  had  thoughtfully 
provided.  He  liked  chicken  salad  very  much,  and 
this  seemed  particularly  good,  although  at  times 
it  had  a  bitter  flavor  for  which  he  could  not 
account. 

Peering  through  the  keyhole  of  the  door,  Dave 
saw  his  intended  victim  make  way  with  the  salad. 
Then  he  ran  back  to  his  dormitory. 

"  It's  all  right,"  he  said.  "  Now  all  of  you  un- 
dress and  go  to  bed, — and  watch  for  what  comes  1  " 


CHAPTER  V 

WHAT   HAPPENED  TO  NAT   POOLE 

The  students  of  dormitories  No.  1 1  and  No.  12 
scarcely  had  time  to  get  to  bed  when  they  heard  a 
noise  in  the  apartment  Nat  Poole  and  some  others 
occupied.  First  came  a  subdued  groan,  followed 
by  another,  and  then  they  heard  Nat  Poole  get  up. 

"What's  the  matter?"  they  heard  a  student 
named  Belcher  ask. 

11  Why — er — I'm  burning  up !  "  gasped  Nat 
Poole.  "  Let  me  get  a  drink  of  water !  "  And 
he  leaped  from  his  bedside  to  where  there  was  a 
stand  with  a  pitcher  of  ice-water  and  a  glass. 

He  was  so  eager  to  get  the  water  that,  in  the 
semi-darkness,  he  hit  the  stand  with  his  arm.  Over 
it  went,  and  the  pitcher  and  glass  fell  to  the  floor 
with  a  crash.  The  noise  aroused  everybody  in 
the  dormitory. 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"  Are  burglars  breaking  in?  " 

"  Confound  the  luck !  "  muttered  Nat  Poole. 
"Oh,  I  must  get  some  water!  I  am  burning  up 
alive!" 


42    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  What's  done  it?  "  questioned  Belcher. 

"  I — er — never  mind  now.  I  am  burning  up 
and  must  have  some  water !  "  roared  the  dudish 
pupil,  and  dashed  out  of  the  dormitory  in  the 
direction  of  a  water  tank  located  at  the  end  of  the 
hall. 

Here  he  was  a  little  more  careful  and  got  the 
drink  he  desired.  But  scarcely  had  he  taken  a 
mouthful  when  he  ejected  it  with  great  force. 

"  Wow !  how  bitter  that  tastes !  "  he  gasped. 
Then  of  a  sudden  he  commenced  to  shiver. 
"  Wonder  if  that  salad  poisoned  me?  Who  gave 
it  to  me,  anyhow?  " 

He  tried  the  water  again,  but  it  was  just  as  bit- 
ter as  before.  Then  he  ran  to  a  bathroom,  to  try 
the  water  there.  By  this  time  his  mouth  and  throat 
felt  like  fire,  and,  thoroughly  scared,  he  ran  back 
to  his  sleeping  apartment  and  began  to  yell  for 
help. 

His  cries  aroused  a  good  portion  of  the  inmates 
of  Oak  Hall,  and  students  came  from  all  direc- 
tions to  see  what  was  the  matter.  They  found 
poor  Nat  sitting  on  a  chair,  the  picture  of  misery. 

"  I — I  guess  I'm  poisoned  and  I'm  going  to 
die !  "  he  wailed.    "  Somebody  better  get  a  doctor." 

"What  did  you  eat?"  demanded  half  a  dozen 
boys. 

"  I — er — I  ate  some  salad  a  fellow  brought  to 
me  in  the  dark.    I  don't  know  who  he  was.    Oh,  my 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  NAT  POOLE     43 

throat!  It  feels  as  if  a  red-hot  poker  was  in  it! 
And  I  can't  drink  water  either!  Oh,  I  know  I 
am  going  to  die !  " 

"  Try  oil — that's  good  for  a  burn,"  suggested 
one  student,  and  he  brought  forth  some  cod  liver 
oil.  Nat  hated  cod  liver  oil  almost  as  much  as 
poison,  but  he  was  scared  and  took  the  dose  with- 
out a  murmur.  It  helped  a  little,  but  his  throat 
felt  far  from  comfortable  and  soon  it  commenced 
to  burn  as  much  as  ever. 

By  this  time  Doctor  Clay  had  been  aroused  and 
he  came  to  the  dormitory  in  a  dressing  gown  and 
slippers. 

11  Nat  Poole  has  been  poisoned !  "  cried  several. 

"  Poisoned!  "  ejaculated  the  master  of  the  Hall. 
"  How  is  this,  Poole?  "  and  he  strode  to  the  suf- 
fering pupil's  side. 

"  I — I  don't  know,"  groaned  Nat.  "  I — er — 
ate  some  mince  pie  and  some  salad " 

"  Perhaps  it  is  only  indigestion,"  was  the  doc- 
tor's comment.  "  You  may  get  over  it  in  a  little 
while." 

"  But  my  throat "    And  then  the  dudish  boy 

stopped  short.  The  fire  in  his  mouth  and  throat 
had  suddenly  gone  down— like  a  tooth  stopping  its 
aching. 

"  What  were  you  going  to  say?  "  asked  Doctor 
Clay. 

"  Why,  I — that  is — my  throat  isn't  so  bad  now." 


44    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

And  Nat's  face  took  on  a  sudden  sheepish  look. 
In  some  way  he  realized  he  had  been  more  scared 
than  hurt. 

"  Let  me  have  a  look  at  your  throat,"  went  on 
the  master  of  the  Hall  and  took  his  pupil  to  a 
strong  light.  "It  is  a  little  red,  but  that  is  all. 
Is  your  stomach  all  right?  " 

"  It  seems  to  be — and  the  pain  in  my  throat  and 
mouth  is  all  gone  now,"  added  Nat. 

The  doctor  handed  him  a  glass  of  water  a  boy 
had  brought  and  Nat  tried  it.  The  liquid  tasted 
natural,  much  to  his  surprise,  and  the  drink  made 
him  feel  quite  like  himself  once  more. 

"  I — I  guess  I  am  all  right  now,"  he  said  after 
an  awkward  pause.  "  I — er — am  sorry  I  woke 
you  up." 

"  After  this  be  careful  of  how  much  you  eat," 
said  the  doctor,  stiffly.  "  If  a  boy  stuffs  himself  on 
mince  pie  and  salad  he  is  bound  to  suffer  for  it." 
Then  he  directed  all  the  students  to  go  to  bed  at 
once,  and  retired  to  his  own  apartment. 

If  ever  a  lad  was  puzzled  that  lad  was  Nat 
Poole.  For  the  life  of  him  he  could  not  determine 
whether  he  had  suffered  naturally  or  whether  a 
trick  had  been  played  on  him.  He  wanted  very 
much  to  know  who  had  brought  him  the  salad,  but 
could  not  find  out.  For  days  after  the  boys  would 
yell  "  mince  pie  "  and  "  salad  "  at  him,  much  to 
his  annoyance. 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  NAT  POOLE     45 

"  That  certainly  was  a  good  one,"  was  Phil's 
comment.  "  I  reckon  Nat  will  learn  to  keep  his 
hands  off  of  things  after  this."  And  he  and  the 
others  had  a  good  laugh  over  the  trick  Dave  had 
played.  It  proved  to  be  perfectly  harmless,  for 
the  next  day  Poole  felt  as  well  as  ever. 

As  Dave  had  said,  he  was  determined  to  make 
up  the  lessons  lost  during  his  trip  to  England  and 
Norway,  and  he  consequently  applied  himself  with 
vigor  to  all  his  studies.  At  this,  Mr.  Dale,  who 
was  head  teacher,  was  particularly  pleased,  and  he 
did  all  he  could  to  aid  the  youth. 

As  during  previous  terms,  Dave  had  much  trou- 
ble with  Job  Haskers.  A  brilliant  teacher,  Has- 
kers  was  as  arbitrary  and  dictatorial  as  could  be 
imagined,  and  he  occasionally  said  things  which 
were  so  sarcastic  they  cut  to  the  quick.  Very  few 
of  the  boys  liked  him,  and  some  positively  hated 
him. 

"  I  always  feel  like  fighting  when  I  run  up 
against  old  Haskers,"  was  the  way  Roger  expressed 
himself.  "  I'd  give  ten  dollars  if  he'd  pack  his 
trunk  and  leave." 

"  And  then  come  back  the  next  day,"  put  in 
Phil,  with  a  grin. 

"Not  much!  When  he  leaves  I  want  him  to 
stay  awayl  " 

"  That  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story,"  said  Shadow, 
who  was  present. 


46    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"What,  another!"  cried  Dave,  with  a  mock 
groan.     "Oh,  but  this  is  dreadful  1" 

"  Not  so  bad — as  you'll  soon  see.  A  boy  had  a 
little  dog,  who  could  howl  morning,  noon,  and 
night,  to  beat  the  band.  Next  door  to  the  boy 
lived  a  very  nervous  man.  Said  he  to  the  boy  one 
day :  '  Will  you  sell  me  that  dog  for  a  dollar  ? ' 
1  Make  it  two  dollars  and  the  dog  is  yours,'  an- 
swered the  boy.  So  the  man,  to  get  rid  of  that 
howling  dog,  paid  the  boy  the  two  dollars  and 
shipped  the  dog  to  the  pound.  Then  he  asked  the 
boy :  '  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  the  two 
dollars  ? '  '  Buy  two  more  dogs,'  said  the  boy. 
Then  the  man  went  away  and  wept." 

"  That's  all  right !  "  cried  Sam  Day,  and  every- 
body laughed.  Then  he  added:  "What  can  dis- 
turb a  fellow  more  than  a  howling  dog  at 
night?" 

"  I  know,"  answered  Dave,  quietly. 

"What?" 

"  Two  dogs,"  and  then  Dave  ducked  to  avoid 
a  book  that  Sam  threw  at  him. 

"  Speaking  of  dogs  reminds  me  of  something," 
said  Buster  Beggs.  "  You  all  remember  Mike 
Marcy,  the  miserly  old  farmer  whose  mule  we  re- 
turned some  time  ago." 

"  I  am  not  likely  to  forget  him,"  answered  Dave, 
who  had  had  more  than  one  encounter  with  the 
fellow,  as  my  old  readers  are  aware. 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  NAT  POOLE     47 

"  Well,  he  has  got  a  very  savage  dog  and  has 
posted  signs  all  over  his  place,  '  Beware  of  the 
Dog!  '  Two  or  three  of  the  fellows,  who  were 
crossing  his  corner  lot  one  day,  came  near  being 
bitten." 

"Were  you  one  of  them?"  asked  Roger. 

"  Yes,  and  we  weren't  doing  anything  either — 
only  crossing  the  vacant  lot  to  take  a  short-cut  to 
the  school,  to  avoid  being  late." 

"  I  was  in  the  crowd,"  said  Luke  Watson,  "  and 
I  had  a  good  mind  to  kill  the  dog." 

"  We'll  have  to  go  over  some  day  and  see 
Marcy,"  said  Phil.  "  I  haven't  forgotten  how  he 
accused  me  of  stealing  his  apples." 

"  He  once  accused  me  of  stealing  a  chicken," 
put  in  a  boy  named  Messmer.  "  I'd  like  to  take 
him  down  a  peg  or  two  for  that." 

"  Let  us  go  over  to  his  place  next  week  some  time 
and  tease  him,"  suggested  another  boy  named  Hen- 
shaw,  and  some  of  the  others  said  they  would  bear 
his  words  in  mind. 

Messmer  and  Henshaw  were  the  owners  of  an 
ice-boat  named  the  Snowbird.  They  had  built  the 
craft  themselves,  and,  while  it  was  not  very  hand- 
some, it  had  good  going  qualities,  and  that  was  all 
the  boys  wanted. 

"  Come  on  out  in  the  Snowbird,"  said  Henshaw, 
to  Dave  and  several  of  the  others,  on  the  following 
Saturday  afternoon,  when  there  was  no  school. 


48    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"The  ice  on  the  river  is  very  good,  and  the  wind 
is  just  right  for  a  spin." 

"  Thanks,  I'll  go  with  pleasure,"  answered 
Dave;  and  soon  the  party  was  off.  The  river, 
frozen  over  from  end  to  end,  was  alive  with  skat- 
ers and  ice-boats,  and  presented  a  scene  of  light- 
heartedness  and  pleasure. 

"  There  goes  an  ice-boat  from  the  Rockville 
military  academy,"  said  Messmer,  presently.  "  I 
guess  they  don't  want  to  race.  They  haven't  for- 
gotten how  we  beat  them."  And  he  was  right;  the 
Rockville  ice-boat  soon  tacked  to  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  the  cadets  on  board  paying  no  atten- 
tion to  the  Oak  Hall  students. 

The  boys  on  the  ice-boat  did  not  go  to  their 
favorite  spot,  Robber  Island,  but  allowed  the 
Snowbird  to  sweep  up  an  arm  of  the  river,  between 
several  large  hills.  The  hills  were  covered  with 
hemlocks  and  cedars,  between  which  the  snow  lay 
to  a  depth  of  one  or  two  feet. 

"  Do  you  know  what  I'd  like  to  do  some  day?  " 
remarked  Roger.  "  Come  up  here  after  rab- 
bits." He  had  a  shotgun,  of  which  he  was  quite 
proud. 

"  I  believe  you'd  find  plenty,"  answered  Dave. 
"I'd  like  to  go  myself.  I  used  to  hunt,  when  I  was 
on  the  farm." 

"  Let  us  walk  up  the  hills  and  take  a  look  around 
— now  we  are  here,"  continued  the  senator's  son. 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  NAT  POOLE     49 

"  If  we  see  any  rabbits'  tracks  we'll  know  they 
are  on  hand." 

Dave  agreed,  and  he,  Roger,  and  Phil  left  the 
ice-boat,  stating  they  would  be  back  in  half  an  hour. 

"All  right!"  sang  out  Messmer.  "We'll 
cruise  around  in  the  meantime.  When  we  get  back 
we'll  whistle  for  you." 

The  tramp  through  the  deep  snow  was  not  easy, 
yet  the  three  chums  enjoyed  it,  for  it  made  them 
feel  good  to  be  out  in  the  clear,  cold  atmosphere, 
every  breath  of  which  was  invigorating.  They 
went  on  silently,  so  as  not  to  disturb  any  game  that 
might  be  near. 

"  Here  are  rabbit  tracks !  "  said  Dave,  in  a  low 
tone,  after  the  top  of  the  first  hill  was  gained,  and 
he  pointed  to  the  prints,  running  around  the  trees 
and  bushes.  "  Shooting  ought  certainly  to  be  good 
in  this  neighborhood." 

From  one  hill  they  tramped  to  another,  the  base 
of  which  came  down  to  the  river  at  a  point  where 
there  was  a  deep  spot  known  as  Lagger's  Hole. 
Here  the  ice  was  usually  full  of  air-holes  and  un- 
safe, and  skaters  and  ice-boats  avoided  the  locality. 

From  the  top  of  the  hill  the  boys  commenced  to 
throw  snowballs  down  on  the  ice,  seeing  who  could 
throw  the  farthest.  Then  Phil  suggested  they 
make  a  big  snowball  and  roll  it  down. 

11  I'll  bet,  if  it  reaches  the  ice,  it  will  go  clear 
across  the  river,"  said  the  shipowner's  son. 


50    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  All  right,  let's  try  it,"  answered  Dave  and 
Roger,  and  the  three  set  to  work  to  make  a  round, 
hard  ball.  They  rolled  it  around  the  top  of  the 
hill  until  it  was  all  of  three  feet  in  diameter 
and  then  pushed  it  to  the  edge. 

"  Now  then,  send  her  down !  "  cried  Phil,  and 
the  three  boys  gave  a  push  that  took  the  big  snow- 
ball over  the  edge  of  the  hill.  Slowly  at  first  and 
then  faster  and  faster,  it  rolled  down  the  hill,  in- 
creasing in  size  as  it  progressed. 

"  It's  getting  there !  "  sang  out  Roger.  "  See 
how  it  is  shooting  along!  " 

"  Look !  "  yelled  Dave,  pointing  up  the  river. 
"  An  ice-boat  is  coming !  " 

All  looked  and  saw  that  he  was  right.  It  was 
a  craft  from  the  Rockville  academy,  and  it  was 
headed  straight  for  the  spot  where  the  big  snow- 
ball was  about  to  cross. 

"  If  the  snowball  hits  them,  there  will  be  a 
smash-up  !  "  cried  Roger. 

11  And  that  is  just  what  is  going  to  happen,  I 
fear,"  answered  Dave. 


CHAPTER  VI 

WHAT  A  BIG  SNOWBALL  DID 

As  the  ice-boat  came  closer  the  boys  on  the  hill 
saw  that  it  contained  four  persons,  two  cadets  and 
two  young  ladies.  The  latter  were  evidently 
guests,  for  they  sat  in  the  stern  and  took  no  part 
in  handling  the  craft. 

Dave  set  up  a  loud  cry  of  warning  and  his  chums 
joined  in.  But  if  those  on  the  ice-boat  heard,  they 
paid  no  heed.  On  and  on  they  came,  heading  for 
the  very  spot  for  which  the  great  snowball,  now  all 
of  six  feet  in  diameter,  was  shooting. 

"  The  ice  is  full  of  holes,  maybe  the  snowball 
will  drop  into  one  of  them,"  said  Phil.  But  this 
was  not  to  be.  The  snowball  kept  straight  on, 
until  it  and  the  ice-boat  were  less  than  a  hundred 
feet  apart. 

It  was  then  that  one  of  the  cadets  on  the  craft 
saw  the  peril  and  uttered  a  cry  of  alarm.  He  tried 
to  bring  the  ice-boat  around,  and  his  fellow-student 
aided  him.  But  it  was  too  late,  and  in  a  few  sec- 
onds more  the  big  snowball  hit  the  craft,  bowled 

51 


52    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

it  over,  and  sent  it  spinning  along  the  ice  toward 
some  of  the  largest  of  the  air-holes. 

"They  are  going  into  the  water  I"  gasped 
Roger. 

"  Come  on — let  us  see  if  we  can  help  them!  " 
returned  Dave,  and  plunged  down  the  hill.  He 
took  the  course  the  big  snowball  had  taken,  and 
his  chums  came  after  him.  More  than  once  they 
fell,  but  picked  themselves  up  quickly  and  kept  on 
until  the  ice  was  gained.  At  the  edge  they  came 
to  a  halt,  for  the  air-holes  told  them  plainly  of  the 
danger  ahead. 

11  There  they  go — into  the  water !  "  cried  Dave, 
and  waiting  no  longer,  he  ran  out  on  the  ice,  pick- 
ing his  way  between  the  air-holes  as  best  he  could. 
Several  times  the  ice  cracked  beneath  his  weight, 
but  he  did  not  turn  back.  He  felt  that  the  occu- 
pants of  the  ice-boat  were  in  peril  of  their  lives  and 
that  in  a  measure  he  was  responsible  for  this  crisis. 

The  river  at  this  point  was  all  of  a  hundred 
yards  wide  and  the  accident  had  occurred  close  to 
the  farther  side.  The  ice-boat  had  been  sent  to 
where  two  air-holes  were  close  together,  and  the 
weight  of  the  craft  and  its  occupants  had  caused 
it  to  crack  the  ice,  and  it  now  rested  half  in  and 
half  out  of  the  water.  One  of  the  cadets  and  one 
of  the  young  ladies  had  been  flung  off  to  a  safe 
place,  but  the  other  pair  were  clinging  desperately 
to  the  framework. 


WHAT  A  BIG  SNOWBALL  DID  53 

"Oh,  we  shall  be  drowned!  We  shall  be 
drowned!  "  cried  the  maiden  in  distress. 

"  Can't  you  jump  off?  "  asked  the  cadet  who  was 
safe  on  the  ice. 

"  I — I  am  afraid !  "  wailed  the  girl.  "  Oh,  the 
ice  is  sinking !  "  she  added,  as  an  ominous  sound 
reached  her  ears. 

To  the  credit  of  the  cadet  on  the  ice-boat,  he  re- 
mained the  cooler  of  the  two,  and  he  called  to  his 
fellow-student  to  run  for  a  fence-rail  which  might 
be  used  to  rescue  the  girl  and  himself.  But  the 
nearest  fence  was  a  long  way  off,  and  time,  just 
then,  was  precious. 

"  Cut  a  couple  of  ropes !  "  sang  out  Dave,  as 
he  dashed  up.  "  Cut  one  and  throw  it  over 
here !  " 

The  cadet  left  on  the  overturned  craft  under- 
stood the  suggestion,  and  taking  out  his  pocket- 
knife,  he  cut  two  of  the  ropes.  He  tied  one  fast  to 
the  other  and  sent  an  end  spinning  out  toward 
Dave  and  the  cadet  on  the  ice.  The  other  end  of 
the  united  ropes  remained  fast  to  the  ice-boat. 

By  this  time  Phil  and  Roger  had  come  up,  and 
all  the  lads  on  the  firm  ice  took  hold  of  the  rope 
and  pulled  with  all  their  might.  Dave  directed  the 
operation,  and  slowly  the  ice-boat  came  up  from  the 
hole  into  which  it  had  partly  sunk  and  slid  over 
toward  the  shore. 

"Hurrah!  we've  got  her!  "  cried  Phil. 


54    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"Vera,  are  you  hurt?"  asked  the  girl  on  the 
ice,  anxiously. 

"Not  at  all,  Mary;  only  one  foot  is  wet,"  an- 
swered the  girl  who  had  been  rescued. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad!"  And  then  the  two  girls 
embraced  in  the  joy  of  their  escape. 

"  I'd  like  to  know  where  that  big  snowball  came 
from,"  growled  the  cadet  who  had  been  flung  off 
the  ice-boat  when  the  shock  came.  He  looked  at 
Dave  and  his  companions.  "  Did  you  start  that 
thing?" 

"  We  did,"  answered  Dave,  "  but  we  didn't 
know  you  were  coming." 

"  It  was  a  mighty  careless  thing  to  do,"  put  in  the 
cadet  who  had  been  rescued.  "  We  might  have 
been  drowned !  " 

"  I  believe  they  did  it  on  purpose,"  said  the 
other  cadet.  He  looked  at  the  letters  on  a  sweater 
Roger  wore.  "  You're  from  Oak  Hall,  aren't 
you?" 

"  Yes." 

"Thought  you'd  have  some  sport,  eh?"  This 
was  said  with  a  sneer.  "  Say,  Cabot,  we  ought  to 
give  'em  something  for  this,"  he  added,  turning  to 
his  fellow-cadet. 

"  So  we  should,"  growled  Cabot,  who  chanced 
to  be  the  owner  of  the  craft  that  had  been  dam- 
aged. "  They  have  got  to  pay  for  breaking  the 
ice-boat,  anyway." 


WHAT  A  BIG  SNOWBALL  DID  55 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Anderson,  please  don't  get  into  a 
quarrel !  "  pleaded  one  of  the  girls. 

"  Well,  those  rowdies  deserve  a  thrashing,"  an- 
swered Anderson.  He  was  a  big  fellow,  with 
rather  a  hard  look  on  his  face. 

"  Thank  you,  but  we  are  not  rowdies,"  retorted 
Roger.  "  We  were  having  a  little  fun  and  did 
not  dream  of  striking  you  with  the  snowball." 

"If  you  know  anything  about  the  river,  you 
know  ice-boats  and  skaters  rarely  if  ever  come  this 
way,"  added  Phil.  "  The  ice  around  here  is  al- 
ways full  of  air-holes  and  consequently  dan- 
gerous." 

11  Oh,  you  haven't  got  to  teach  me  where  to  go," 
growled  Anderson. 

"  I'm  only  stating  a  fact." 

"  The  ice  is  certainly  not  very  nice  around 
here,"  said  one  of  the  girls.  "  Perhaps  we  might 
have  gotten  into  a  hole  even  if  the  big  snowball 
hadn't  struck  us." 

At  this  remark  Dave  and  his  chums  gave  the 
girl  a  grateful  look.  The  cadets  were  annoyed, 
and  one  whispered  something  to  the  other. 

"  You  fellows  get  to  work  and  fix  the  ice-boat," 
said  Cabot. 

"  And  do  it  quick,  too,"  added  Anderson. 

"  I — I  think  I'll  walk  the  rest  of  the  way  home," 
said  one  of  the  girls.  "  Will  you  come  along, 
Vera?" 


56    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  other.  She  stepped  up 
to  Dave's  side.  "  Thank  you  for  telling  Mr. 
Cabot  what  to  do,  and  for  pulling  us  out  of  the 
hole,"  she  went  on,  and  gave  the  boys  a  warm 
smile. 

"Going  to  leave  us?"  growled  Anderson. 

"  Yes." 

"  That  ain't  fair.    You  promised " 

"  To  take  a  ride  on  the  ice-boat,"  finished  the 
girl  named  Vera.  "  We  did  it,  and  now  I  am  go- 
ing home." 

"  And  so  am  I,"  added  the  other  girl.  "  Good- 
by." 

11  But  see  here "  went  on  Anderson,   and 

caught  the  girl  named  Vera  by  the  arm. 

"  Please  let  go,  Mr.  Anderson." 

«  I  warit " 

"  Let  the  young  lady  go  if  she  wishes  to,"  said 
Dave,  stepping  up. 

"  This  isn't  your  affair,"  blustered  Anderson. 

"  No  gentleman  would  detain  a  lady  against  her 
will." 

"  Good-by,"  said  the  girl,  and  stepped  back 
several  paces  when  released  by  the  cadet. 

"  All  right,  Vera  Rockwell,  I'll  not  take  you  out 
again,"  growled  Anderson,  seeing  she  was  bound 
to  go. 

"  You'll  not  have  the  chance,  thank  you !  "  flung 
back  the  girl,  and  then  she  joined  her  companion, 


WHAT  A  BIG  SNOWBALL  DID  57 

and  both  hurried  away  from  the  shore  and  to  a 
road  running  near  by. 

After  the  girls  had  gone  there  was  an  awkward 
silence.  Both  Cabot  and  Anderson  felt  sore  to  be 
treated  in  this  fashion,  and  especially  in  the  pres- 
ence of  those  from  Oak  Hall,  a  rival  institution  to 
that  where  they  belonged. 

11  Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  the  dam- 
age done?"  grumbled  Anderson. 

"  I  don't  think  the  ice-boat  is  damaged  much," 
answered  Dave.  "  Let  us  look  her  over  and 
see. 

"  If  she  is,  you'll  pay  the  bill,"  came  from  Cabot. 

"  Well,  we  can  do  that  easily  enough,"  an- 
swered Roger  lightly. 

The  craft  was  righted  and  inspected.  The  dam- 
age proved  to  be  trifling  and  the  ice-boat  was  speed- 
ily made  fit  for  use. 

"  If  I  find  she  isn't  all  right,  I'll  make  some  of 
you  foot  the  bill,"  said  Cabot. 

"  I  am  willing  to  pay  for  all  damage  done,"  an- 
swered Dave.    "  My  name  is  Dave  Porter." 

"Oh!  I've  heard  of  you,"  said  Anderson. 
"  You're  on  the  Oak  Hall  football  team." 

"  Yes,  and  I've  had  the  pleasure  of  helping  to 
beat  Rockville,"  answered  Dave,  and  could  not 
help  grinning. 

"  Humph !  Wait  till  next  season  1  We'll  show 
you  a  thing  or  two,"  growled  Anderson,  and  then 


58    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

he  and  Cabot  boarded  the  ice-boat,  trimmed  the 
sail,  and  stood  off  down  the  river. 

"  Well,  they  are  what  I  call  a  couple  of  pills," 
was  Phil's  comment.  "  I  don't  see  how  two  nice 
girls  could  go  out  with  them." 

"  They  certainly  were  two  nice  girls,"  answered 
Roger.  "  That  Vera  Rockwell  had  beautiful  eyes 
and  hair.  And  did  you  see  the  smile  she  gave 
Dave !    Dave,  you're  the  lucky  one !  " 

"  That  other  girl  is  named  Mary  Feversham," 
answered  Phil.  "  Her  father  is  connected  with 
the  express  company.  I  met  her  once,  but  she 
doesn't  seem  to  remember  me.  I  think  she  is 
better-looking  than  Miss  Rockwell." 

"  Gracious,  Phil  must  be  smitten !"  cried 
Dave. 

"  When  is  it  to  come  off,  Phil?  "  asked  the  sena- 
tor's son.  "  We  want  time  to  buy  presents,  you 
know." 

"  Oh,  you  can  poke  fun  if  you  want  to,"  grum- 
bled the  shipowner's  son.  "  She's  a  nice  girl  and 
I'd  like  to  have  the  chance  to  meet  her.  Some- 
body said  she  was  a  good  skater." 

"Well,  if  you  go  skating  with  her,  ask  Miss 
Rockwell  to  come,  too,  and  I'll  be  at  the  corner 
waiting  for  you,"  said  the  senator's  son.  "  That 
is,  if  Dave  don't  try  to  cut  me  out." 

u  No  danger — Jessie  wouldn't  allow  it,"  replied 
Phil. 


WHAT  A  BIG  SNOWBALL  DID  59 

"  You  leave  Jessie  out  of  it,"  answered  Dave, 
flushing  a  trifle.  "  Just  the  same,  I  agree  with  both 
of  you,  those  girls  looked  to  be  very  nice." 

The  three  boys  walked  along  the  river  bank  for 
nearly  half  a  mile  before  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
Snowbird.  Then  Messmer  and  Henshaw  wanted 
to  know  what  had  kept  them  so  long. 

"  I'd  not  go  in  there  with  my  boat,"  said  Mess- 
mer, after  he  had  heard  their  story.  "  Those  air- 
holes are  too  dangerous." 

When  the  lads  got  back  to  Oak  Hall  they  found 
a  free-for-all  snowball  fight  in  progress.  One 
crowd  was  on  the  campus  and  the  other  in  the  road 
beyond. 

"  This  suits  me !  "  cried  Roger.,  "  Come  on, 
Dave,"  and  he  joined  the  force  on  the  road.  His 
chums  did  the  same,  and  sent  the  snowballs  flying 
at  a  brisk  rate. 

The  fight  was  a  furious  one  for  over  an  hour. 
The  force  on  the  campus  outnumbered  those  in  the 
road  and  the  latter  were  driven  to  where  the  high- 
way made  a  turn  and  where  there  were  several 
clumps  of  trees  and  bushes.  Here,  Dave  called  on 
those  around  him  to  make  a  stand,  and  the  other 
crowd  was  halted  in  its  onward  rush. 

"  Here  comes  Horsehair  in  a  cutter!  "  cried  one 
of  the  students,  presently.  "  Let  us  give  him  a 
salute." 

"  All  right!  "  called  back  Dave.    "  Some  snow 


60    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

will  make  him  strong,  and  brush  off  some  of  the 
hair  he  carries  around  with  him." 

The  boys  made  a  number  of  snowballs  and,  led 
by  Dave,  waited  for  the  appearance  of  the  cutter. 
Soon  it  turned  the  bend,  the  horse  on  a  trot  and  the 
sleighbells  jingling  merrily. 

"Now  then,  all  together!  "  shouted  Dave,  and 
prepared  to  hurl  a  snowball  at  the  man  who  was 
driving. 

"  Hold  on !  "  yelled  Roger,  suddenly. 

But  the  warning  cry  came  too  late  for  Dave  and 
Phil,  who  were  in  the  lead.  They  let  fly  their 
snowballs,  and  the  man  in  the  cutter  was  struck  in 
the  chin  and  the  ear.  He  fell  backward,  but  speed- 
ily recovered  and  stopped  his  horse. 

"You  young  rascals!"  he  spluttered  hoarsely. 
"  What  do  you  mean  by  snowballing  me  in  this 
fashion !  " 

"  Job  Haskers !  "  murmured  Dave,  in  consterna- 
tion. 

"  What  a  mistake !  "  groaned  Phil.  "  We  are 
in  for  it  now !  " 


CHAPTER  VII 

PRISONERS  IN  THE   SCHOOL 

Dave  and  Phil  had  indeed  made  a  serious  mis- 
take, and  they  knew  at  once  that  they  were  in  for 
a  severe  lecture,  and  worse.  Job  Haskers  was 
naturally  an  irascible  man,  and  for  the  past  few 
days  he  had  been  in  a  particularly  bad  humor. 

"  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Haskers,"  said  Dave,  respect- 
fully.   "  I  didn't  know  you  were  in  the  cutter." 

"  You  did  it  on  purpose — don't  deny  it,  Porter !  " 
fumed  the  teacher.  "  It  is  outrageous,  infamous, 
that  a  pupil  of  Oak  Hall  should  act  so !  " 

"  Really,  Mr.  Haskers,  it  was  a  mistake,"  spoke 
up  Phil.  "  We  thought  it  was  Horsehair — I  mean 
Lemond,  who  was  driving." 

"  Bah !  Do  I  look  like  Lemond?  And,  anyway, 
what  right  would  you  have  to  snowball  the  driver 
for  this  school?  It  is  scandalous!  I  shall  make 
an  example  of  you.  Report  to  me  at  the  office  in 
five  minutes,  both  of  you!" 

The  boys'  hearts  sank  at  this  order,  and  they 
felt  worse  when  they  suddenly  remembered  that 
both  Doctor  Clay  and  Mr.  Dale  were  away  and 

61 


62    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

that,  consequently,  Job  Haskers  was,  for  the  time 
being,  in  authority.  The  teacher  went  back  to  the 
cutter,  took  up  the  reins,  and  drove  out  of  sight 
around  the  campus  entrance. 

"  Too  bad!  "  was  Roger's  comment.  "  I  yelled 
to  you  not  to  throw." 

"  I  know  you  did,  but  I  had  already  done  so," 
answered  Dave. 

"  And  so  had  I,"  added  Phil. 

"  Say,  that  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story,"  ex- 
claimed Shadow,  who  was  in  the  crowd.  "  A  man 
once  had  a  mule " 

"  Who  wants  to  listen  to  a  story  at  this  time?  " 
broke  in  Ben  Basswood. 

"  Never  mind,  let's  have  the  yarn,"  said  Dave. 
"  Perhaps  it  will  serve  to  brighten  our  gloom,"  and 
he  smiled  feebly. 

"  This  man  had  a  mule  in  which  a  neighbor  was 
very  much  interested,"  continued  Shadow.  "  One 
day  the  mule  got  sick,  and  every  day  after  that  the 
neighbor  would  tell  the  owner  of  some  new  remedy 
for  curing  him.  One  day  he  came  over  to  where 
the  mule-owner  lived.  '  Say,'  he  says,  '  I've  got  the 
best  remedy  a-going.  You  must  try  it.'  '  Don't 
think  I  will,'  answered  the  mule-owner.  '  Oh,  but 
you  must,  I  insist,'  said  the  neighbor.  *  It  will 
sure  cure  your  mule  and  set  him  on  his  feet  again.' 
'  I  don't  think  so,'  said  the  mule-owner.  '  But  I 
am  positive,'  cried  the  neighbor.     'Just  give  it  a 


PRISONERS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  63 

trial.'  '  Never,'  said  the  mule-owner.  Then  the 
neighbor  got  mad.  '  Say,  why  won't  you  try  this 
remedy  ?  '  he  growled.  '  I  won't  because  the  mule 
is  dead,'  answered  the  other  man.  Then  the  neigh- 
bor went  home  in  deep  thought." 

11  Well,  that's  to  the  point,"  said  the  senator's 
son,  laughing.  "  For  I  told  them  to  stop  after  the 
damage  was  done." 

In  no  enviable  frame  of  mind  Dave  and  Phil 
walked  into  the  school,  took  off  their  outer  gar- 
ments and  caps,  and  made  their  way  to  the  office. 
Job  Haskers  had  not  yet  come  in,  and  they  had  to 
wait  several  minutes  for  him. 

As  has  been  said,  the  teacher  was  in  far  from  a 
friendly  humor.  Some  months  before  he  had  in- 
vested a  portion  of  his  savings  in  some  mining 
stock,  thinking  that  he  would  be  able  to  make 
money  fast.  Now  the  stock  had  become  practically 
worthless,  and  that  very  morning  he  had  learned 
that  he  would  never  be  able  to  get  more  than  ten 
per  cent,  of  his  money  back. 

"  You  are  a  couple  of  scamps,"  he  said,  harshly. 
"  I  am  going  to  teach  you  a  needed  lesson."  And 
then  the  two  boys  saw  that  he  held  behind  him  a 
carriage-whip. 

Dave  and  Phil  were  astonished,  and  with  good 
reason.  So  far  as  they  knew,  corporal  punishment 
was  not  permitted  at  Oak  Hall  excepting  on  very 
rare  occasions, — where  a  pupil  had  taken  his  choice 


64    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

of  a  whipping  or  expulsion.  Was  it  possible  that 
Job  Haskers  intended  to  chastise  them  bodily? 

"  Mr.  Haskers,  I  am  very  sorry  that  I  hit  you 
with  that  snowball,"  said  Dave.  "  As  I  said  be- 
fore, I  did  not  know  it  was  you,  and  it  was  only 
thrown  in  fun." 

"What  Dave  says  is  true,"  added  Phil.  "I 
hope  you  will  accept  my  apology  for  what  hap- 
pened." 

"  I'll  accept  no  apologies!  "  fumed  Job  Haskers. 
"  It  was  done  on  purpose,  and  you  must  both  suf- 
fer for  it,"  and  the  teacher  brandished  the  whip 
as  if  to  strike  them  then  and  there. 

"Mr.  Haskers,  what  do  you  intend  to  do?" 
asked  Dave,  quietly  but  firmly. 

"  I  intend  to  give  you  the  thrashing  you 
deserve !  " 

"With  that  whip?" 

"  Yes,  with  this  whip." 

"You'll  not  do  it,  sir!" 

"What!" 

"  I  say,  you'll  not  do  it,  sir." 

"Hum!  We'll  see  about  this!"  And  the 
teacher  glared  at  Dave  as  if  to  eat  him  up. 

"  You  have  no  authority  to  whip  us,"  put  in 
Phil. 

"Who  says  so?" 

"  I  say  so."  i 

"And  Phil  is  right,"  added  Dave.     "I'll  not 


PRISONERS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  65 

allow  it,  so  you  may  as  well  put  that  whip 
away." 

"  I'd  like  to  know  who  is  master  here,  you  or 
I  ?  "  demanded  Job  Haskers,  turning  red  with  rage. 

"  Doctor  Clay  is  master  here,  and  we  are  under 
his  care.  If  you  try  to  strike  me  with  that  whip 
I'll  report  the  matter  to  him,"  answered  Dave. 
"  You  may  punish  me  any  other  way,  if  you  wish, 
but  I  won't  put  up  with  a  whipping." 

"  And  I  won't  be  whipped  either,"  added  Phil. 

"  I'll  show  you !  "  roared  Job  Haskers,  and  rais- 
ing the  whip  he  tried  to  bring  it  down  on  Dave's 
head.  The  youth  dodged,  turned,  and  caught  the 
whip  in  his  hands. 

"  Let  go  that  whip,  Porter!  " 

"  I  will  not — not  until  you  promise  not  to  strike 
at  me  again." 

"  I'll  promise  nothing!     Let  go,  I  say!  " 

The  teacher  struggled  to  get  the  whip  free  of 
Dave's  grasp,  and  a  scuffle  ensued.  Dave  was 
forced  up  against  a  side  stand,  upon  which  stood  a 
beautiful  marble  statue  of  Mercury. 

"  Look  out  for  the  statue !  "  cried  Phil,  in  alarm, 
but  even  as  he  spoke  Dave  was  shoved  back,  and 
over  went  the  stand  and  ornament,  the  statue 
breaking  into  several  pieces. 

"  There,  now  see  what  you've  done !  "  cried  Job 
Haskers,  as  the  battle  ceased  for  the  moment,  and 
Dave  let  go  the  whip. 


66    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  It  wasn't  my  fault — you  shoved  me  into  it," 
answered  Dave. 

"  It  was  your  fault,  and  you'll  pay  the  damages. 
That  statue  was  worth  at  least  fifty  dollars.  And 
you'll  take  your  thrashing,  too,"  added  the  teacher, 
vindictively. 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  hit  Dave,"  cried  Phil,  "  or 
me  either,  Mr.  Haskers.  You  can  punish  us,  but 
you  can't  whip  us,  so  there !  " 

"  Ha !     Both  of  you  defy  me,  eh?  " 

"  We  are  not  to  be  whipped,  and  that  settles  it," 
said  Dave. 

"  I  presume  you  think,  because  you  are  two  to 
one,  you  can  get  the  better  of  me,"  sneered  the 
teacher.  He  knew  the  two  boys  were  strong,  and 
he  did  not  wish  to  risk  a  fight  with  them. 

"  I  don't  want  to  get  the  better  of  anybody,  but 
I  am  not  going  to  let  you  whip  me,"  answered 
Dave,  stubbornly. 

"  If  you  are  willing,  we'll  leave  the  matter  to 
Doctor  Clay,"  suggested  the  shipowner's  son. 

"  You  come  with  me,"  returned  the  teacher 
abruptly,  and  led  the  way  out  of  the  office  to  a 
small  room  used  for  the  storage  of  schoolbooks 
and  writing-pads.  The  room  had  nothing  but  a 
big  closet  and  had  a  small  window,  set  up  high  in 
the  wall.  The  shelves  on  the  walls  were  full  of 
new  books  and  on  the  floor  were  piles  of  volumes 
that  had  seen  better  days. 


PRISONERS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  67 

"  Going  to  lock  us  in,  I  guess,"  whispered  Phil. 

"  Well,  he  can  do  it  if  he  wants  to,  but  he 
shan't  whip  me,"  answered  Dave,  in  an  equally  low 
tone. 

"  Now,  you  can  stay  here  for  the  present," 
growled  Job  Haskers,  as  he  held  open  the  door. 
"  And  don't  you  dare  to  make  any  noise  either." 

"  What  about  supper?  "  asked  Dave,  for  he  was 
hungry. 

"  You  shall  have  something  to  eat  when  the 
proper  time  comes." 

The  boys  walked  into  the  room,  and  Job  Has- 
kers immediately  closed  the  door  and  locked  it, 
placing  the  key  in  his  pocket.  Then  the  lads  heard 
him  walk  away,  and  all  became  silent,  for  the  book- 
room  was  located  between  two  classrooms  which 
were  not  in  use  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays. 

11  Well,  what  do  you  make  of  this?  "  asked  the 
shipowner's  son,  after  an  awkward  pause. 

"  Nothing — what  is  there  to  make,  Phil  ?  Here 
we  are,  and  likely  to  stay  for  a  while." 

"  Are  you  going  to  pay  for  that  broken  statue?  " 

11  Was  it  my  fault  it  was  broken?  " 

"  No — he  ran  you  into  the  stand." 

"  Then  I  don't  see  why  I  ought  to  pay." 

"  He  may  claim  you  had  no  right  to  fight  him 
off." 

"  He  had  no  right  to  attack  me  with  the  whip. 
I  don't  think  Doctor  Clay  will  stand  for  that." 


68    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  If  he  does,  he  isn't  the  man  I  thought  he  was." 

The  two  youths  walked  around  the  little  room, 
gazing  at  the  rows  of  books.  Then  Dave  stood  on 
a  pile  of  old  books  and  looked  out  of  the  small 
window. 

"See  anything  worth  looking  at?"  asked  his 
chum. 

"  No,  all  I  can  see  is  a  corner  of  the  campus  and 
a  lot  of  snow.     Nobody  is  in  sight." 

"  Wonder  how  long  old  Haskers  intends  to  keep 
us  here?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know." 

With  nothing  to  do,  the  boys  looked  over  some 
schoolbooks.  They  were  not  of  great  interest,  and 
soon  it  grew  too  dark  to  read.  Phil  gave  a  long 
sigh. 

"  This  is  exciting,  I  must  say,"  he  said,  sar- 
castically. 

"  Never  mind,  it  will  be  exciting  enough  when 
we  face  Doctor  Clay." 

"  I'd  rather  face  him  than  old  Haskers,  Dave." 

"  Oh,  so  would  I !  When  will  the  doctor  be 
back?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

An  hour  went  by,  and  the  two  prisoners  heard 
a  muffled  tramping  of  feet  which  told  them  that 
the  other  students  had  assembled  in  the  dining  hall 
for  supper.  The  thought  of  the  bountiful  tables 
made  them  both  more  hungry  than  ever. 


PRISONERS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  69 

"  I'd  give  as  much  as  a  dollar  for  a  couple  of 
j;ood  sandwiches,"  said  the  shipowner's  son,  dis- 
mally. "  Seems  to  me,  I'm  hollow  clear  down  to 
my  heels !  " 

"  Wait,  I've  got  an  idea !  "  returned  Dave. 

He  felt  in  his  pocket  and  brought  forth  several 
keys.  Just  as  he  did  this  they  heard  footsteps  in  the 
hallway,  and  Dave  slipped  the  keys  back  in  his 
pocket. 

The  door  was  flung  open  and  Job  Haskers  ap- 
peared, followed  by  one  of  the  dining  room  waiters, 
who  carried  a  tray  containing  two  glasses  of  milk 
and  half  a  dozen  slices  of  bread  and  butter. 

"  Here  is  something  for  you  to  eat,"  said  the 
teacher,  and  directed  the  waiter  to  place  the  tray 
on  a  pile  of  books. 

"  Is  this  all  we  are  to  have?  "  demanded  Dave. 

"  Yes." 

"I'm  hungry!"  growled  Phil.  "That  won't 
satisfy  me." 

"  It  will  have  to  satisfy  you,  Lawrence." 

"  I  think  it's  a  shame !  " 

"  I  want  no  more  words  with  you,"  retorted  Job 
Haskers,  and  motioned  the  waiter  to  leave  the 
room.  Then  he  went  out,  locking  the  door  and 
pocketing  the  key  as  before. 

"Well,  if  this  isn't  the  limit!"  growled  Phil. 
"A  glass  of  milk  and  three  slices  of  bread  and 
butter  apiece ! " 


70    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Well,  we  shan't  starve,  Phil,"  and  Dave 
grinned  to  himself  in  the  semi-darkness. 

"  And  no  light  to  eat  by — and  the  room  more 
than  half  cold.  Dave,  are  you  going  to  stand 
this?" 

"  I  am  not,"  was  the  firm  response. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do?  " 

"  Get  out  of  here — if  I  possibly  can,"  was 
Dave's  reply. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  MOVE   IN  THE  DARK 

Dave  took  the  bunch  of  keys  from  his  pocket 
and  approached  the  door.  He  tried  one  key  after 
another,  but  none  of  them  appeared  to  fit.  Then 
Phil  brought  out  such  keys  as  he  possessed,  but  all 
proved  unavailable. 

"  That  is  one  idea  knocked  in  the  head,"  said 
Dave,  and  heaved  a  sigh. 

"  I  am  going  to  tackle  the  bread  and  milk,"  said 
Phil.     "  It  is  better  than  nothing." 

"  It  won't  make  us  suffer  from  indigestion 
either,"  answered  Dave,  with  a  short  laugh. 

Sitting  on  some  of  the  old  schoolbooks  the  two 
youths  ate  the  scanty  meal  Job  Haskers  had  pro- 
vided. To  help  pass  the  time  they  made  the  meal 
last  as  long  as  possible,  eating  every  crumb  of  the 
bread  and  draining  the  milk  to  the  last  drop.  The 
bread  was  stale,  and  they  felt  certain  the  teacher 
had  furnished  that  which  was  old  on  purpose. 

"  I'll  wager  he'd  like  to  hammer  the  life  out  of 
us,"  was  Phil's  comment.  "  Just  wait  and  see  the 
story  he  cooks  up  to  tell  Doctor  Clay !  " 

71 


72    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Wonder  what  the  other  fellows  think  of  our 
absence,  Phil?  " 

Maybe  they  have  asked  Haskers  about  it." 

Having  disposed  of  all  there  was  to  eat  and 
drink,  the  two  lads  walked  around  the  little  room 
to  keep  warm.  Then  Dave  went  at  the  door  again, 
examining  the  lock  with  great  care,  and  feeling  of 
the  hinges. 

11  Well,  I  declare !  "  he  cried,  almost  joyfully. 

"What  now,  Dave?" 

"  This  door  has  hinges  that  set  into  this  room 
and  are  held  together  by  little  rods  running  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom  of  each  hinge.  If  we  can 
take  out  the  two  rods,  I  am  almost  certain  we  can 
open  the  door  from  the  hinge  side !  " 

This  was  interesting  news,  and  Phil  came  for- 
ward to  aid  Dave  in  removing  the  tiny  rod  which 
held  the  two  parts  of  each  hinge  together.  It  was 
no  easy  task,  for  the  rods  were  somewhat  rusted, 
but  at  last  both  were  removed,  and  then  the  boys 
felt  the  door  give  way  at  that  point. 

Now  that  they  could  get  out,  Phil  wanted  to 
know  what  was  to  be  done  next. 

"  I  think  I'll  go  out  and  hunt  up  something  to 
eat  on  the  sly,"  answered  Dave.  "  Then  we  can 
come  back  here  and  wait  for  Doctor  Clay's 
arrival." 

"Good!  I'll  go  with  you.  I  don't  want  you  to 
run  the  risk  alone." 


A  MOVE  IN  THE  DARK  73 

They  waited  until  they  felt  that  the  dining  room 
was  deserted  and  then  pried  the  door  open  and 
stole  from  their  prison.  Tiptoeing  their  way 
through  the  side  hall,  they  reached  a  door  which 
led  to  a  big  pantry,  connecting  the  dining  room 
and  the  kitchen.  As  they  had  anticipated,  the 
pantry  held  many  good  things  on  its  shelves,  and 
a  waiter  was  bringing  in  more  food  from  the  tables. 

"Quick — take  what  you  want!"  whispered 
Dave,  when  the  waiter  had  disappeared,  and  catch- 
ing up  a  plate  that  contained  some  cold  sliced 
tongue  he  added  to  it  some  baked  beans,  some  bread 
and  jam,  and  two  generous  slices  of  cake. 

Phil  understood,  and  taking  another  plate  he  got 
some  of  the  baked  beans,  some  cold  ham,  some 
bread  and  cheese,  and  a  pitcher  of  milk.  Then  the 
two  boys  espied  some  crullers  and  stuffed  several 
in  their  pockets.  Then  Dave  saw  a  candle  and 
captured  that. 

"  He's  coming  back — skip !  "  whispered  Phil, 
and  ran  out  of  the  pantry  with  Dave  at  his  heels. 
A  moment  later  the  waiter  came  in  with  more 
things,  but  he  did  not  catch  them,  nor  did  he  notice 
what  they  had  taken. 

As  quickly  as  they  could,  the  two  boys  returned 
to  the  book-room,  and  setting  the  stuff  on  the  books, 
they  lit  the  candle,  and  placed  the  rods  back  into 
the  hinges  of  the  door.  So  that,  nobody  might 
see  the  light,  they  placed  a  sheet  of  paper  over  the 


74    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

keyhole  of  the  door,  and  a  row  of  books  on  the 
floor  against  the  doorsill. 

"  Now  we'll  have  a  little  better  layout  than  that 
provided  by  Mr.  Dictatorial  Haskers,"  said  Dave, 
and  he  proceeded  to  arrange  some  of  the  school- 
books  in  a  square  in  the  center  of  the  floor. 
"  Might  as  well  have  a  table  while  we  are  at  it." 

"  And  a  couple  of  chairs,"  added  Phil,  and  ar- 
ranged more  books  for  that  purpose.  Then  they 
spread  a  sheet  of  paper  over  the  "  table,"  put  a 
plate  at  either  end,  and  the  two  sat  down. 

"  It's  a  shame  to  make  you  eat  without  a  fork, 
Phil,"  said  Dave,  solemnly.  "  But  if  you'd  rather 
go  hungry " 

"  Not  on  your  collar-button !  "  cried  the  ship- 
owner's son.  "  A  pocketknife  is  good  enough  for 
me  this  trip,"  and  he  fell  to  eating  with  great  gusto, 
and  Dave  did  the  same,  for  what  food  they  had 
had  before  had  only  been  "  a  flea  bite,"  as  Dave 
expressed  it. 

Having  eaten  the  most  of  the  food  taken  from 
the  pantry  they  placed  the  remainder  on  the  plates 
on  a  bookshelf.     Then  Dave  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Half-past  eight,"  he  said.  "  Wonder  how 
long  we  are  to  be  kept  here?  " 

"  Don't  ask  me,  I  was  never  good  at  conun- 
drums," answered  Phil,  lightly.  Plenty  to  eat  had 
put  him  in  a  good  humor.  "  Maybe  till  morning, 
Dave." 


It's  a  shame  to  make  you  eat  without  a  fork,  Phil." 
Page  74. 


A  MOVE  IN  THE  DARK  75 

11 1  shan't  stay  here  until  morning — without  a 
bed  or  coverings." 

"What  will  you  do?" 

"  Go  up  to  the  dormitory — after  all  the  lights 
are  out." 

"Good!  Wonder  why  I  didn't  think  of 
that?" 

"  You  ate  too  much,  that's  why."  And  Dave 
grinned.  He,  too,  felt  better  now  that  he  had  fully 
satisfied  his  appetite. 

Slowly  the  time  went  by  till  ten  o'clock  came. 
The  prisoners  heard  tramping  overhead,  which 
told  them  the  other  students  were  retiring.  They 
looked  for  a  visit  from  Job  Haskers,  but  the 
teacher  did  not  show  himself. 

"  He  is  going  to  keep  us  here  until  the  doctor 
gets  back,  that  is  certain,"  said  Dave. 

"  But  the  doctor  may  not  come  back  to-night.  I 
heard  him  say  something  the  other  day  about  go- 
ing to  Boston." 

At  last  the  school  became  quiet.  By  this  time 
the  boys'  candle  had  burnt  itself  out,  leaving  them 
in  total  darkness.  By  common  impulse  they  moved 
toward  the  door. 

"What  if  we  meet  Murphy?"  asked  Phil. 

"  We'll  do  our  best  to  avoid  him,  but  if  we  do 
see  him  I  rather  think  he'll  side  with  us  and  keep 
quiet,"  answered  Dave.  "  I  know  he  hates  Has- 
kers as  much  as  we  do." 


76    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Hiding  what  was  left  of  their  meal  in  a  corner 
of  a  shelf,  behind  some  books,  the  two  lads  stole 
into  the  semi-dark  hall  and  up  one  of  the  broad 
stairs.  They  met  nobody  and  gained  their  dormi- 
tory with  ease.  Going  inside,  each  undressed  in 
the  dark  and  prepared  to  retire. 

"  Who's  up  ?  "  came  sleepily  from  Roger. 

"  Hush,  Roger,"  whispered  Dave. 

"  Oh,  so  it's  you !  Where  have  you  been,  and 
what  did  old  Haskers  do  to  you?  " 

In  a  few  brief  words  Dave  and  Phil  explained 
what  had  taken  place. 

"  We'll  tell  you  the  rest  in  the  morning,"  said 
Phil,  and  then  he  and  Dave  hopped  into  bed  and 
under  the  warm  covers.  Less  than  a  minute  later, 
however,  Dave  sat  up  and  listened  intently.  He 
had  heard  the  front  door  of  the  school  building 
bang  shut  in  the  rising  wind. 

"Phil!" 

"  What  is  it  now,  Dave?  " 

"  I  think  I  just  heard  Doctor  Clay  come  in." 

"Oh,  bother!  I'm  going  to  sleep,"  said  the 
shipowner's  son,  with  a  yawn.  "  I  don't  think  he'll 
trouble  us  to-night." 

"  I'm  going  to  see  what  happens,"  answered 
Dave,  and  got  up  again.  Soon  he  had  on  a  dress- 
ing gown  and  slippers,  and  was  tiptoeing  his  way 
down  the  hallway.  He  heard  a  murmur  of  voices 
below,  and  knew  then  that  both  the  doctor  and 


A  MOVE  IN  THE  DARK  77 

Mr.  Dale  had  arrived.  Then  he  heard  Mr.  Dale 
walk  to  the  rear  of  the  lower  floor,  and  heard 
somebody  else  come  out  of  the  library. 

"Mr.  Haskers,  what  is  it?"  he  heard  Doctor 
Clay  say. 

"  I  must  consult  you  about  two  of  the  students, 
sir,"  answered  Job  Haskers.  "  They  have  acted 
in  a  most  disgraceful  manner.  They  attacked  me 
on  the  road  with  icy  snowballs,  nearly  ruining  my 
right  ear,  and  when  I  called  them  to  account  in 
the  office  one  of  them  began  to  fight  and  broke 
your  statue  of  Mercury." 

"  Is  it  possible !  "  ejaculated  the  doctor,  in  pained 
surprise.     "  Who  were  the  pupils?  " 

"  David  Porter  and  Philip  Lawrence." 

"  Is  this  true,  Mr.  Haskers?  Porter  and  Law- 
rence are  usually  well-behaved  students." 

"  They  acted  like  ruffians,  sir — especially  Porter, 
who  attacked  me  and  broke  the  statue." 

"  I  will  look  into  this  without  delay.  Where 
are  they  now — in  their  room?  " 

"  No,  I  locked  them  up  in  the  book-room,  to 
await  your  arrival.  I  did  not  deem  it  wise  to  give 
them  their  liberty." 

"Ahem!  prisoners  in  the  book-room,  eh?  This 
is  certainly  serious.  They  cannot  remain  in  the 
room  all  night." 

"  It  would  serve  them  right  to  keep  them  there," 
grumbled  Job  Haskers. 


78    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  There  are  no  cots  in  that  room  for  them  to 
rest  on." 

"  Then  let  them  rest  on  the  floor !  The  young 
rascals  deserve  it." 

"  Perhaps  I'd  better  talk  it  over  with  the  boys 
and  see  what  they  have  to  say,  Mr.  Haskers,"  went 
on  the  doctor,  in  a  mild  tone.  "  I  do  not  believe 
in  being  too  harsh  with  the  students.  Perhaps 
they  only  snowballed  you  as  a  bit  of  sport." 

"  Doctor  Clay,  do  you  uphold  them  in  such  an 
action  ?  "  demanded  the  irascible  instructor. 

"  By  no  means,  Mr.  Haskers,  but — boys  will  be 
boys,  you  know,  and  we  mustn't  be  too  hard  on 
them  if  they  occasionally  go  too  far." 

"  Porter  broke  that  statue, — and  defied  me !  " 

"  If  he  broke  the  statue,  he'll  have  to  pay  for 
it, — and  if  he  defied  you  in  the  exercise  of  your 
proper  authority,  he  shall  be  punished.  But  I  want 
to  hear  what  they  have  to  say.  We'll  go  to  the 
book-room  at  once,  release  them,  and  take  them  to 
my  office." 

"  It  won't  be  necessary  to  go  to  the  book-room, 
Doctor  Clay,"  called  out  Dave  from  the  upper 
landing. 

"Why — er — is  that  you,   Porter!" 

"  How  did  you  get  out?  "  cried  Job  Haskers,  in 
consternation.     "  Didn't  I  lock  that  door?" 

"  You  did,  but  Phil  Lawrence  and  I  got  out, 
nevertheless,"  answered  Dave. 


A  MOVE  IN  THE  DARK  79 

"  Where  is  Lawrence?  " 

"  Up  in  our  room  in  bed,  and  I  was  in  bed,  too, 
but  got  up  when  the  doctor  came  in,"  added  Dave. 

"  Well,  I  never!  "  stormed  Job  Haskers.  "  You 
see  how  it  is,  Doctor  Clay;  they  have  even  broken 
out  of  the  book-room  after  I  told  them  to  stay 
there !  " 

"  We  weren't  going  to  stay  in  a  cold  room  all 
night  with  no  beds  to  sleep  on,  and  only  bread  and 
milk  for  supper,"  went  on  Dave.  "  I  wouldn't 
treat  my  worst  enemy  that  way." 

"  Did  you  say  you  were  in  bed  when  I  came  in?  " 
questioned  Doctor  Clay. 

11  Yes,  sir — and  Phil  is  there  now,  unless  he  just 
got  up." 

"  Here  I  am,"  came  a  voice  from  behind  Dave, 
and  the  shipowner's  son  put  in  an  appearance. 
"  Do  you  want  us  to  come  downstairs,  Doctor?  If 
you  do,  I'll  have  to  go  back  and  put  on  my  clothes 
and  shoes." 

"  And  I'll  have  to  go  back  and  dress,  too,"  added 
Dave. 

Doctor  Clay  mused  a  moment. 

"  As  you  are  undressed  you  may  as  well  retire," 
he  said.  "  I  will  look  into  this  matter  to-morrow 
morning,  or  Monday  morning." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  both  boys. 

"  But,  sir "  commenced  Job  Haskers. 

"It  is  too  late  to  take  up  the  case  now,"  inter- 


80    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

rupted  Doctor  Clay.  "  There  is  no  use  in  arousing 
anybody  at  this  time  of  night.  Besides,  I  am  very 
tired.  We'll  all  go  to  bed,  and  sift  this  thing  out 
later.     Boys,  you  may  go." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.     Good-night." 

And  without  waiting  for  another  word  the  two 
chums  hurried  to  their  dormitory,  leaving  Job 
Haskers  and  the  doctor  alone. 


CHAPTER  IX 

VERA  ROCKWELL 

Sunday  passed,  and  nothing  was  said  to  Dave 
and  Phil  concerning  the  unfortunate  snowballing 
incident;  but  on  Monday  morning,  immediately 
after  breakfast,  both  were  summoned  to  Doctor 
Clay's  office. 

"  I  suppose  we  are  in  for  it  now,"  said  the  ship- 
owner's son,  dolefully. 

"Never  mind,  Phil;  we  didn't  mean  to  do 
wrong,  and  I  am  going  to  tell  the  doctor  so.  I 
think  he  will  be  fair  in  the  matter." 

But  though  Dave  spoke  thus,  he  was  by  no  means 
easy  in  his  mind.  He  had  had  trouble  with  Job 
Haskers  before  and  he  well  knew  how  the  teacher 
could  distort  facts  to  make  himself  out  to  be  a 
much-injured  individual. 

When  the  two  youths  entered  the  office  they 
found  Doctor  Clay  seated  at  his  desk,  looking  over 
the  mail  Jackson  Lemond  had  just  brought  in  from 
town.  Job  Haskers  was  not  present,  which  fact 
caused  the  boys  to  breathe  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"  Now,  boys,  I  want  you  to  give  me  the  par- 

81 


82    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

ticulars  of  what  occurred  Saturday  afternoon,"  said 
the  master  of  the  Hall,  as  he  laid  down  a  letter  he 
had  been  perusing.  "  Porter,  you  may  relate  your 
story  first." 

Without  unnecessary  details,  Dave  told  his  tale 
in  a  straightforward  manner, — how  the  boys  had 
been  having  a  snowball  fight,  how  somebody  had 
cried  out  that  Horsehair  was  coming  in  a  cutter, 
and  how  they  had  thought  to  have  a  little  fun  with 
the  school  driver  by  pelting  him  with  snowballs. 

"  We  have  often  done  it  before,"  went  on  Dave. 
"  Horsehair — I  mean  Lemond — doesn't  seem  to 
mind  it,  and  sometimes  he  snowballs  us  in  return." 

"  Then  you  did  not  know  it  was  Mr.  Haskers?  " 

"  No,  sir — not  until  I  had  thrown  the  snow- 
ball." 

Then  Dave  told  of  Haskers's  anger,  and  of  how 
they  had  been  ordered  to  the  office  and  had  gone 
there. 

"  I  told  him  I  was  sorry  I  had  hit  him,  but  he 
would  not  listen  to  me,  and  he  wouldn't  listen  when 
Phil  apologized.  He  said  he  would  accept  no 
apologies,  but  was  going  to  give  us  the  thrashing 
we  deserved.  Then  he  took  the  whip  he  carried 
and  tried  to  strike  me.  I  wouldn't  stand  for  that 
and  I  caught  hold  of  the  whip.  He  told  me  to  let 
go  and  I  said  I  wouldn't  unless  he  promised  not 
to  strike  at  me  again.  Then  he  struggled  to  get 
the  whip  from  my  grasp  and  pushed  me  back- 


VERA  ROCKWELL  83 

ward,  against  the  stand  with  the  statue.  The  stand 
went  over  and  the  statue  was  broken." 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Porter."  Doctor  Clay's 
voice  was  oddly  strained.  "  Are  you  certain  Mr. 
Haskers  tried  to  strike  you  with  the  whip?  " 

"  I  certainly  am,  sir.  He  raised  the  whip  over 
my  head,  and  if  I  hadn't  dodged  I'd  have  been 
struck,  and  struck  hard." 

"  Mr.  Haskers  tells  me  that  he  simply  carried 
the  whip  to  the  office  to  subdue  you — that  he  was 
afraid  both  of  you  might  jump  on  him  and  do  him 
bodily  injury." 

"Does  he  say  he  didn't  strike  at  me?"  cried 
Dave,  in  astonishment,  for  this  was  a  turn  of  affairs 
he  had  not  dreamed  would  occur. 

11  He  says  he  brandished  the  whip  when  you 
came  toward  him  as  if  to  strike  him." 

"  I  made  no  move  to  strike  him,  Doctor  Clay — 
Phil  will  testify  to  that." 

"  Dave  has  told  the  strict  truth,  sir,"  said  the 
shipowner's  son.  "  Mr.  Haskers  did  strike  at 
him,  and  it  was  only  by  luck  that  Dave  escaped 
the  blow.  I  thought  sure  he  was  going  to  get  a 
sound  whack  on  the  head." 

At  these  words  Doctor  Clay's  face  became  a 
study.  The  teacher  had  had  his  say  on  Sunday 
afternoon,  but  this  version  put  an  entirely  different 
aspect  on  the  affair. 

"  Go  on  with  your  story,"  he  said,  after  a  pause. 


84    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  I  am  very  sorry  that  the  statue  was  broken," 
continued  Dave.  "  And  I  wish  to  say  right  here, 
sir,  that  if  you  think  it  was  my  fault  I  will  willingly 
pay  for  the  damage  done.  But  I  think  it  was  en- 
tirely Mr.  Haskers's  fault.  I  always  understood 
that  no  corporal  punishment  was  permitted  in  this 
school." 

"  Your  understanding  on  that  point  is  correct, 
Porter.  The  only  exception  to  the  rule  is  when 
a  student  becomes  violent  himself  and  has  to  be 
subdued." 

"  I  wasn't  violent." 

"  Please  tell  the  rest  of  your  story." 

Then  Dave  told  of  the  wordy  war  which  had 
followed,  and  of  how  he  and  Phil  had  been  locked 
up  and  given  bread  and  milk  for  supper,  and  of 
how  he  and  his  chum  had  found  the  book-room 
more  than  cheerless.  He  had  resolved  to  make  a 
clean  breast  of  it,  and  so  gave  the  particulars  of 
taking  the  door  off  its  hinges,  getting  extra  food, 
and  of  finally  going  upstairs  to  bed.  The  latter 
part  of  the  story  caused  Doctor  Clay  to  turn  his 
head  away  and  look  out  of  a  window,  so  that  the 
boys  might  not  see  the  smile  that  came  to  his  face. 
In  his  imagination  he  could  see  the  lads  feasting 
on  the  purloined  things  in  the  book-room  by  candle- 
light. 

"Now,  Lawrence,  what  have  you  to  say?"  he 
asked,  when  Dave  had  finished. 


VERA  ROCKWELL  85 

"  I  can't  say  much,  sir — excepting  that  Dave  has 
told  you  the  truth,  and  the  whole  truth  at  that. 
And  I  might  add,  sir,  had  Mr.  Dale  or  yourself 
been  in  the  cutter  I  think  the  whole  trouble  would 
have  been  patched  up  very  quickly.  But  Mr. 
Haskers  is  so — so — impulsive — he  never  will  listen 
to  a  fellow, — and  he  rushed  at  Dave  like  a  mad 
bull.  I  was  ready  to  jump  on  him  when  the  whip 
went  up,  and  I  guess  I  would  have  done  it  if  Dave 
had  been  struck." 

"  And  you  are  positive  you  didn't  snowball  Mr. 
Haskers  on  purpose  ?  " 

"  Positive,  sir — and  I  can  prove  it  by  the  other 
boys  who  were  in  the  crowd." 

M  Hum !  "  Doctor  Clay  was  silent  for  fully  a 
minute.  "  You  can  both  go  to  your  classes.  If  I 
wish  to  see  you  further  in  regard  to  this — ahem — 
unfortunate  affair  I  will  let  you  know." 

The  boys  bowed  and  went  out,  and  quarter  of  an 
hour  later  each  was  deep  in  the  studies  for  the  day. 
Occasionally  their  minds  wandered  to  what  had 
occurred,  and  they  tried  to  imagine  what  the  out- 
come would  be. 

"I  don't  think  the  doctor  will  stand  for  the 
whip,"  was  the  way  Dave  expressed  himself,  and  in 
this  surmise  he  was  correct.  That  very  afternoon 
the  master  of  the  Hall  called  the  teacher  to  his 
office,  and  a  warm  discussion  followed.  But  what 
was  said  was  never  made  public.    Yet  one  thing  the 


86    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

boys  knew — Dave  was  never  called  upon  to  pay  for 
the  broken  statue — Job  Haskers  had  to  settle  that 
bill. 

With  the  ice  so  fine  on  the  river,  much  of  the 
boys'  off-time  was  spent  in  ice-boating  and  skating. 
One  afternoon  there  was  an  ice-boat  race  between 
the  Snowbird  from  Oak  Hall,  a  boat  from  Rock- 
ville  Military  Academy,  and  two  craft  owned  by 
young  men  of  Oakdale.  This  brought  out  a  large 
crowd,  and  each  person  was  enthusiastic  over  his 
favorite. 

"  I  hope  our  boat  wins !  "  said  Roger,  who  was 
on  skates,  as  were  Dave  and  Phil  and  many  others. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Dave.  "  I  don't  care  who 
comes  in  ahead  so  long  as  it's  an  ice-boat  belong- 
ing to  Oak  Hall." 

"  That's  pretty  good !  "  cried  Sam  Day,  "  seeing 
that  we  have  but  one  boat  in  the  race." 

"  Say,  that  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story,"  came 
from  Shadow.  "  One  time  a  lot  of  young  fellows 
in  a  village  organized  a  fire  company.  They  voted 
to  get  uniforms  and  the  question  came  up  as  to 
what  color  of  shirts  they  should  buy.  They  talked 
it  over,  and  at  last  an  old  fire-fighter  in  a  corner 
got  up.  '  Buy  any  color  you  please,'  said  he,  *  any 
color  you  please,  but  be  sure  it's  red! '  "  And  the 
story  caused  a  smile  to  go  around. 

The  four  ice-boats  were  soon  ready  for  the  con- 
test, and  at  a  pistol  shot  they  started  on  the  five- 


VERA  ROCKWELL  87 

mile  course  which  had  been  laid  out.  Messmer  and 
Henshaw  were  on  the  Snowbird,  which  speedily 
took  the  second  place,  one  of  the  town  boats,  named 
the  Whistler,  leading. 

"Hurrah!  they  are  off!" 

11  What's  the  matter  with  the  Military  Academy 
boat?     She's  a  tail-ender." 

"  The  Lark  is  third!" 

So  the  cries  ran  on,  as  the  ice-boats  skimmed 
along  over  the  smooth  ice,  swept  clear  of  nearly 
all  the  snow  by  the  wind.  Dave  and  his  chums 
skated  some  distance  after  the  boats  and  then 
halted,  to  await  their  return. 

11  Hurrah,  the  Snowbird  is  crawling  up  on  the 
Whistler!  "  cried  Buster  Beggs. 

"  They  are  neck  and  neck!  "  said  Luke  Watson. 

"  Yes,  but  the  Venus  is  coming  up,  too,"  an- 
swered Phil.  "  Gracious,  but  I'll  wager  those 
Rockville  fellows  would  like  to  win  I  " 

"  The  Venus  must  be  a  new  boat,"  said  Ben 
Basswood.    "  I  never  saw  her  before." 

"  She  is  new — some  of  the  Military  Academy 
fellows  purchased  her  last  week,"  answered  an- 
other boy. 

The  crowd  moved  on,  Dave  stopping  to  fix  one 
of  his  skates,  which  had  become  loose.  As  he 
straightened  up,  a  girl  brushed  past  him  and  looked 
him  full  in  the  face.  He  saw  that  she  was  one  of 
the  two  who  had  been  on  the  ice-boat  at  the  time  of 


88    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

the  accident.  She  gave  him  a  sunny  smile  and  he 
very  politely  tipped  his  cap  to  her. 

"  I  suppose  you  hope  your  boat  will  win,"  she 
said,  coming  to  a  halt  near  him. 

"  You  mean  the  Oak  Hall  boat,  I  suppose?  " 

11  Of  course,  Mr.  Porter." 

"  Yes,  I  hope  we  do  win,"  answered  Dave,  and 
wondered  how  she  had  learned  his  name.  "  Don't 
you  hope  we'll  win,  too,  Miss  Rockwell?"  he 
continued,  seeing  that  the  others  had  gone 
on  and  he  was  practically  alone  with  his  new 
acquaintance. 

"  Well,  I — I  really  don't  know,"  she  answered, 
and  smiled  again.  "  You  see,  the  Whistler  be- 
longs to  some  friends  of  my  big  brother,  so  I  sup- 
pose I  ought  to  want  that  to  win." 

"  But  if  the  Snowbird  is  a  better  boat " 

Vera  Rockwell  gave  a  merry  laugh — it  was  her 
nature  to  laugh  a  good  deal.  "  Of  course  if  your 
boat  is  the  better  of  the  two But  I  am  keep- 
ing you  from  your  friends,"  she  broke  off. 

"  Oh,  I  shan't  mind  that,"  said  Dave  politely, 
and  he  did  not  mind  in  the  least,  for  Vera  seemed 
so  good-natured  that  he  was  glad  to  have  a  chance 
to  talk  to  her. 

"  I  wanted  to  meet  you,"  Vera  went  on,  as,  with- 
out hardly  noticing  it,  they  skated  off  side  by  side. 
11 1  wanted  to  thank  you  for  what  you  and  your 
friend  did  for  us  the  other  day." 


VERA  ROCKWELL  89 

"  I  guess  you  had  better  blame  us.  If  we  hadn't 
rolled  that  big  snowball  down  the  hill " 

"  Oh,  but  you  said  you  didn't  mean  to  hit  the 
ice-boat " 

"  Which  was  true — we  didn't  see  the  ice-boat 
until  it  was  too  late.  I  hope  you  and  your  friend 
got  home  safely?" 

"  We  did.  When  we  reached  the  road  we  met 
a  farmer  we  knew  with  a  big  sled,  and  he  took 
Mary  and  me  right  to  our  doors." 

11  Do  you  live  in  Oakdale?" 

"  Yes,— just  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town, — the 
big  brick  house  with  the  iron  fence  around  the 
garden." 

"  Oh,  I've  seen  that  place  often.  You  used  to 
have  a  little  black  dog  who  was  very  friendly  and 
would  sit  up  on  his  hind  legs  and  beg." 

"  Gyp !  Yes,  and  I  have  him  yet — and  he's  the 
cutest  you  ever  saw!  He  can  do  all  kinds  of 
tricks.  Some  day,  when  you  are  passing,  if  you'll 
stop  I'll  show  you." 

"  Thank  you,  I'll  remember,  and  I'll  be  sure  to 
stop,"  answered  Dave,  much  pleased  with  the  in- 
vitation. 

"  Here  they  come !  Here  they  come !  "  was 
the  cry,  and  suddenly  the  youth  and  the  girl  found 
themselves  in  a  big  body  of  skaters.  Vera  was 
struck  on  the  arm  by  one  burly  man,  and  would 
have  gone  down  had  not  Dave  supported  her. 


90    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Better  take  my  hand,"  said  Dave,  and  the  girl 
did  so,  for  she  was  a  little  frightened.  Then  the 
crowd  increased,  and  they  had  to  fall  back  a  little, 
to  get  out  of  the  jam.  Dave  looked  around  for  his 
chums,  but  they  were  nowhere  in  sight.  Then  all 
strained  their  eyes  to  behold  the  finish  of  the  ice- 
boat contest. 


CHAPTER  X 

DAVE   SPEAKS   HIS   MIND 

"  Here  they  come !  " 

"The  Whistler  is  ahead!" 

"  Yes,  but  the  Snowbird  is  crawling  up !  " 

M  See,  the  Venus  has  given  up." 

So  the  cries  ran  on,  as  the  ice-boats  drew  closer 
and  closer  to  the  finishing  line  of  the  contest.  It 
was  true  the  Venus,  the  craft  from  the  Rockville 
Military  Academy,  had  fallen  far  behind  and 
had  given  up.  The  third  boat  was  also  well  to  the 
rear,  so  the  struggle  was  between  the  Oak  Hall 
craft  and  the  Whistler  only. 

"  I  hope  we  win !  "  cried  Dave,  enthusiastically. 

"Oh,  how  mean!"  answered  Vera,  reproach- 
fully. "  Well,  I — er — I  don't  mean  that  exactly, 
but  I'd  like  to  see  my  brother's  friends  come  in 
ahead." 

"  One  thing  is  sure — it's  going  to  be  close,"  con- 
tinued Dave.     "  Can  you  see  at  all?  " 

"  Not  much — there  is  such  a  crowd  in  front." 

"Too  bad!  Now  if  you  were  a  little  girl,  I'd 
lift  you  on  my  shoulder,"  and  he  smiled  merrily. 

91 


92    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

11  Oh,  the  idea !  "  And  Vera  laughed  roundly. 
"  I  can  see  the  tops  of  the  masts,  anyway.  They 
seem  to  be  about  even." 

"  They  are.     I  think " 

"  A  tie !  a  tie !  "  was  the  cry.  Then  a  wild  cheer 
went  up,  as  both  ice-boats  crossed  the  line  side  by 
side.  A  second  later  the  crowd  broke  out  on  the 
course  and  began  skating  hither  and  thither. 

"  Is  it  really  a  tie?  "  asked  the  girl. 

"  So  it  seems." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad,  for  now  we  can  both  be  satis- 
fied." Vera  looked  around  somewhat  anxiously. 
"  Have  you  seen  anything  of  Mary  Feversham  ? 
She  came  skating  when  I  did." 

"  You  mean  the  other  young  lady  who  was  with 
you  on  that  ice-boat  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  No,  I  haven't  seen  her.  Perhaps  we  can  find 
her  if  we  skate  around  a  bit." 

"  Oh,  but  I  don't  want  to  trouble  you." 

"  It  is  no  trouble,  it  will  be  a  pleasure.  We 
might " 

At  that  moment  a  number  of  skaters  swept  by, 
including  Nat  Poole.  The  dudish  student  smiled 
at  Vera  and  then,  noticing  Dave,  stared  in  aston- 
ishment. 

"  Do  you  know  him?"  asked  Vera,  and  for  a 
moment  she  frowned. 

"  Yes,  he  belongs  to  our  school." 


DAVE  SPEAKS  HIS  MIND  93 

11  Oh !  "  She  drew  down  the  corners  of  her 
pretty  mouth.     "  I — I  didn't  know  that." 

"  We  are  not  very  friendly — he  doesn't  belong 
to  my  set,"  Dave  went  on,  for  he  had  not  liked  that 
smile  from  Poole,  and  he  was  sure  Vera  had  not 
liked  it  either. 

"  He  spoke  to  us  once — Mary  and  me — one  day 
last  week  when  we  were  skating.  He  was  dressed 
in  the  height  of  fashion,  and  I  suppose  he  thought 
we  would  be  glad  to  know  him.  But  we  didn't  an- 
swer him.  Ever  since  that  time  he  has  been  smil- 
ing at  us.  I  wish  he'd  stop.  If  he  doesn't  I  shall 
tell  my  big  brother  about  it." 

"  If  he  annoys  you  too  much  let  me  know  and 
I'll  go  at  him  myself,"  answered  Dave,  readily. 
"  I've  had  plenty  of  trouble  with  him  in  the  past, 
but  I  shan't  mind  a  little  more."  And  then  he  told 
of  some  of  the  encounters  with  the  dudish  student. 
Vera  was  greatly  interested  and  laughed  heartily 
over  the  jokes  that  had  been  played. 

"  You  boys  must  have  splendid  times !  "  she 
cried.  "  Oh,  don't  you  know,  sometimes  I  wish 
I  were  a  boy !  "  And  then  she  told  something  of 
her  own  doings  and  the  doings  of  Mary  Fever- 
sham,  who  was  her  one  chum.  Along  with  their 
relatives,  the  girls  had  spent  the  summer  on  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  the  previous  winter  they  had  been 
to  Florida,  which  made  Dave  conclude  that  they 
were  well-to-do. 


94    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

They  skated  around  a  little  more  and  soon  met 
Mary  Feversham,  who  was  with  Vera's  big 
brother.  Then  Roger  and  Phil  came  up;  and  all 
were  introduced  to  each  other. 

"  The  girls  told  me  about  the  big  snowball  af- 
fair," said  Rob  Rockwell.  "  I  told  'em  it  served 
'em  right  for  going  out  with  those  Military  Acad- 
emy chaps.  Those  fellows  never  struck  me  right — 
they  put  on  too  many  airs.  We  wouldn't  stand 
for  that  sort  of  thing  at  my  college." 

"  Well,  the  race  was  a  tie  between  our  boat  and 
the  boat  of  your  friend,"  said  Dave,  to  change  the 
subject.  "  They'll  have  to  race  over  again  some 
day." 

"  Jackson  let  one  of  his  ropes  break  at  the  turn," 
answered  Rob  Rockwell.  "  That  threw  his  sail 
over  and  put  him  behind — otherwise  he  might  have 
won." 

Rob  was  a  college  youth,  big,  round-faced,  and 
with  a  loud  voice  and  somewhat  positive  manner. 
But  he  was  a  good  fellow,  and  Dave  and  his  chums 
took  to  him  immediately,  and  the  two  parties  did 
not  separate  until  it  was  time  for  the  Oak  Hall 
students  to  return  to  that  institution.  At  parting 
Vera  gave  Dave  a  pleasant  smile. 

"  Remember  the  dog,"  she  said. 

"  I  certainly  shall,"  he  answered,  and  smiled  in 
return. 

"  What  did  she  mean  about  a  dog?  "  questioned 


DAVE  SPEAKS  HIS  MIND  95 

Roger,  a  minute  later,  when  the  chums  were  skat- 
ing for  the  school  dock. 

"  Oh,  not  much,"  answered  Dave,  evasively. 
11  She  told  me  where  she  lived  and  I  said  I  remem- 
bered seeing  her  little  black  dog,  and  then  she  said 
he  could  do  all  kinds  of  tricks,  and  if  I'd  stop  there 
some  time  she'd  show  me."  And  hardly  knowing 
why,  Dave  blushed  slightly. 

"  Oh,  that's  it,"  answered  the  senator's  son,  and 
then  said  no  more.  But  in  his  heart  he  was  just 
a  little  bit  jealous  because  he  had  not  been  invited 
to  call  too.  Vera's  open-hearted,  jolly  manner 
pleased  him  fully  as  much  as  it  pleased  Dave. 

"  They  are  all-right  girls,"  was  Phil's  comment, 
when  the  boys  were  taking  off  their  skates.  "  That 
Vera  Rockwell  is  full  of  fun,  I  suspect.  But  I 
rather  prefer  Mary  Feversham,  even  if  she  is  more 
quiet." 

"  Going  to  marry  her  soon,  Phil?  "  asked  Dave, 
quizzically. 

"  Sure,"  was  the  unabashed  reply.  "  The  cere- 
mony will  take  place  on  the  thirty-first  of  next 
February,  at  four  minutes  past  two  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  Omit  flowers,  but  send  in  all  the  solid 
silver  dollars  you  wish."  And  this  remark  caused 
the  others  to  laugh. 

Two  days  later  Link  Merwell  came  back  to 
school.  Dave  did  not  see  the  bully  on  his  arrival, 
and  the  pair  did  not  meet  until  Dave  went  to  one 


96    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

of  the  classrooms  to  recite.  Then,  much  to  his 
surprise,  Merwell  greeted  him  with  a  friendly  nod. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Porter?  "  he  said,  pleasantly. 

"How  are  you,  Merwell?"  was  the  cold  re- 
sponse. 

"  Oh,  I'm  pretty  well,  thank  you,"  went  on  Link 
Merwell,  easily.  "  Fine  weather  we  are  having. 
I  suppose  skating  is  just  elegant.  I  brought  along 
a  new  pair  of  skates  and  I  hope  to  have  lots  of  fun 
on  them."  The  bully  came  closer.  u  Had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  your  sister  out  West,"  he  con- 
tinued in  a  lower  tone.  "  My  I  but  I  was  surprised ! 
You  were  a  lucky  dog  to  find  your  father  and 
Laura.  See  you  later."  And  the  bully  passed  on 
to  his  seat. 

Dave's  face  flushed  and  his  heart  beat  rapidly. 
As  my  old  readers  know  he  had  good  cause  to  feel 
a  resentment  against  Link  Merwell,  and  it  was  mad- 
dening to  have  the  bully  mention  Laura's  name. 
He  could  see  why  the  fellow  was  acting  so  cordially 
— it  was  solely  on  Laura's  account.  Evidently  he 
considered  his  acquaintanceship  with  Laura  quite 
an  intimate  one. 

"  I'll  have  to  open  his  eyes  to  the  truth,"  thought 
Dave.  "  And  the  sooner  it  is  done  the  better." 
Then  he  turned  to  his  lessons.  But  it  was  hard 
work  to  get  the  bully  out  of  his  mind,  and  he  made 
several  mistakes  in  reciting  ancient  history,  much 
to  Mr.  Dale's  surprise. 


DAVE  SPEAKS  HIS  MIND  97 

"  You  will  have  to  study  this  over  again,"  said 
the  head  teacher,  kindly.  And  he  marked  a  6 
against  Dave's  name,  when  the  pupil  might  have 
had  a  10. 

Dave's  opportunity  to  "  have  it  out "  with  Link 
Merwell  came  the  next  afternoon,  when  he  had 
gone  for  a  short  skate,  previous  to  starting  work 
on  the  essay  which  he  hoped  would  win  the  prize. 
The  two  met  at  the  boathouse,  and  fortunately 
nobody  else  was  near. 

"  Going  skating,  I  see,"  said  Merwell,  airily. 
"  Finest  sport  going,  I  think.  I  wish  your  sister 
was  here  to  enjoy  it  with  us,  don't  you?  I  sent 
her  a  letter  to-day.  I  suppose  she  told  you  we 
were  having  a  little  correspondence — just  for  fun, 
you  know." 

"  See  here,  Link  Merwell,  we  may  as  well  have 
an  understanding  now  as  later,"  began  Dave,  ear- 
nestly. "  I  want  to  talk  to  you  before  anybody 
comes.  I  want  you  to  leave  my  sister  alone, — I 
want  you  to  stop  speaking  about  her,  and  stop  writ- 
ing to  her.  She  told  me  about  her  trip  west,  and 
how  she  met  you,  and  all  that.  At  that  time  she 
didn't  know  you  as  I  know  you.  But  I've  told  her 
about  you,  and  you  can  take  it  from  me  that  she 
doesn't  want  to  hear  from  you  again.  She  is  very 
sorry  she  ever  met  you  and  wrote  to  you." 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  eh?  "  Link  Merwell's  face  had 
grown  first  red  and  then  deathly  pale.     "  So  you 


98    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

put  in  your  oar,  eh?  Blackened  my  character  all 
you  could,  I  suppose."  He  shut  his  teeth  with  a 
snap.     "  You'd  better  take  care !  " 

"  I  simply  told  her  the  truth." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know  just  how  you  can  talk,  Porter ! 
And  did  she  say  she  wouldn't  write  to  me  any 
more?  " 

"  She  did.  Now  I  want  to  know  something 
more.  What  did  you  do  with  the  letters  she  sent 
you?" 

"  I  kept  them." 

"  I  want  you  to  give  them  to  me." 

"To  you?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  will  send  them  to  her." 

"  Notmuch!  They  are  my  letters  and  I  intend 
to  keep  them !  "  cried  Link  Merwell.  His  face 
took  on  a  cunning  look.  "  If  you  think  you  are 
going  to  get  those  letters  away  from  me  you  are 
mistaken." 

"  Maybe  I  can  force  you  to  give  them  up,  Mer- 
well." 

"What  will  you  do — fight?  If  you  try  that 
game,  Porter,  I'll  let  every  fellow  in  this  school 
know  what  brought  the  fight  about — and  let  them 
read  the  letters." 

"  You  are  a  gentleman,  I  must  say,"  answered 
Dave.  He  paused  for  a  moment.  "  Then  you 
won't  give  them  up?" 

"  Positively,  no." 


DAVE  SPEAKS  HIS  MIND  99 

"  Then  listen  to  me,  Link  Merwell.  Sooner  or 
later  I'll  make  you  give  them  up.  In  the  meantime, 
if  I  hear  of  your  letting  anybody  else  read  those 
letters,  or  know  of  them,  I'll  give  you  a  ten  times 
worse  thrashing  than  I  did  before  I  left  this  school 
to  go  to  Europe.  Now  remember  that,  for  I  mean 
every  word  I  say." 

"  You  can't  make  me  give  up  the  letters,"  said 
Merwell,  doggedly.  He  was  somewhat  cowed 
by  Dave's  earnest  manner. 

"  I  can  and  I  will." 

"  Maybe  you  think  I've  got  them  in  my  trunk? 
If  so,  you  are  mistaken." 

11 1  don't  care  where  you  have  them — I'll  get 
them  sometime.  And  remember,  don't  you  dare 
to  write  to  my  sister  again,  or  don't  you  dare  to 
speak  to  her  when  you  meet  her." 

"  To  listen  to  your  talk,  you'd  think  you  were  my 
master,  Porter,"  sneered  the  bully,  but  his  lips 
trembled  slightly  as  he  spoke. 

"  Not  at  all.  But  I  want  you  to  let  my  sister 
alone,  that's  all.  All  the  decent  fellows  in  this 
school  know  what  you  are,  and  it  is  no  credit  to  any 
young  lady  to  know  you." 

"  Bah !  I  consider  myself  a  better  fellow  than 
you  are,"  snarled  the  bully.  "  You  are  rich  now, 
but  we  all  know  how  you  were  brought  up, — 
among  a  lot  of  poorhou " 

Link  Merwell  stopped  suddenly  and  took  a  hasty 


ioo    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

step  backward.  At  his  last  words  Dave's  fists  had 
doubled  up  and  a  light  as  of  fire  had  come  into  his 
eyes. 

"  Not  another  word,  Merwell,"  said  Dave,  in  a 
strained  voice.  "  Not  one — or  I'll  bang  your  head 
against  the  wall  until  you  yell  for  mercy.  I  can 
stand  some  things,  but  I  can't  stand  that — and  I 
won't!" 

A  silence  followed,  during  which  each  youth 
glared  at  the  other.  Merwell  had  his  skates  in  his 
hand  and  made  a  movement  as  if  to  lift  them  up 
and  bring  them  down  on  Dave's  head.  But  then 
his  arm  dropped  to  his  side,  for  that  terrible  look 
of  danger  was  still  in  the  eyes  of  the  youth  who 
had  spent  some  years  of  his  life  in  the  Crumville 
poorhouse. 

"  We'll  have  this  out  some  other  time,"  he  mut- 
tered, and  slunk  out  of  the  boathouse  like  a 
whipped  cur. 


CHAPTER  XI 

AT  THE   OLD  GRANARY 

There  was  to  be  a  skating  race  that  afternoon 
and  Dave  had  thought  to  take  part.  But  now  he 
was  in  no  humor  for  mingling  with  his  fellow- 
students  and  so  took  a  long  walk,  along  the  snow- 
covered  road  beyond  Oak  Hall. 

At  first  his  mind  was  entirely  on  Link  Merwell, 
and  on  his  sister  Laura  and  the  letters  she  had 
written  to  the  bully.  To  be  sure,  Laura  had  told 
him  that  the  letters  contained  only  a  lot  of  girlish 
nonsense,  yet  he  was  more  than  sorry  Merwell  held 
them  and  he  would  have  given  much  to  have  gotten 
them  away  from  the  fellow  he  despised. 

Returning  to  the  Hall  some  time  before  supper, 
Dave  went  up  to  his  dormitory.  Only  Bertram 
Vane  was  there,  translating  Latin. 

"  Come  to  study,  Dave?"  he  questioned  pleas- 
antly, hardly  glancing  up  from  his  work. 

"  I've  come  to  work  on  that  essay,  Polly," 
Dave  answered. 

"  You  mean  the  Past  and  Future  of  Our 
Country?  " 

IOI 


102    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"Yes.      Shall  you  try   for  the  prize?" 

"  I  may — I  haven't  got  that  far  yet.  It  seems  to 
me  you  are  beginning  early." 

"  Oh,  I  am  merely  going  to  jot  down  some  ideas 
I  have.  Then,  from  time  to  time,  I'll  add  to  those 
ideas,  and  do  the  real  writing  later." 

"  That's  a  good  plan.    Maybe "    And  then 

Polly  Vane  stopped  speaking  and  lost  himself  in 
his  Latin  lesson.  He  was  very  studious  as  well  as 
girlish,  but  one  of  the  best  fellows  in  the  school. 

Dave  went  to  work,  and  so  easily  did  his  ideas 
flow  that  it  was  supper  time  before  he  had  them  all 
transferred  to  paper.  The  subject  interested  him 
greatly  and  he  felt  in  his  heart  that  he  could  do  it 
full  justice. 

"  But  I  must  work  carefully,"  he  told  himself. 
"  If  I  don't,  some  other  paper  may  be  better  than 
mine." 

The  students  were  flocking  in  from  the  campus, 
the  gymnasium,  and  the  river.  Some  came  upstairs, 
to  wash  up  before  going  to  the  dining  room. 
Among  the  number  was  Chip  Macklin,  the  young 
pupil  who  had  in  times  gone  by  been  the  toady  of 
Gus  Plum  when  Plum  had  been  the  Hall  bully. 

"Oh,  Dave  Porter!"  cried  Chip,  and  running 
up,  he  clutched  Dave  by  the  arm. 

"What  is  it,  Chip?"  asked  Dave,  seeing  the 
little  boy  was  white  and  trembling.  "  What's 
wrong?  " 


AT  THE  OLD  GRANARY  103 

"  I — I — I  don't  know  whether  to  tell  you  or 
not,"  whispered  Chip.  "It's  awful — dreadful!" 
He  looked  around,  to  make  certain  nobody  else 
was  near. 

"What  is  awful?" 

Again  Chip  looked  around.  "  You  won't  say 
that  I  told  you,  will  you?  I  suppose  I  ought  to 
tell  somebody — or  do  something — but  perhaps 
Plum  wouldn't  like  it.  He  can't  be  left  out  where 
he  is, — he  might  freeze  to  death !  " 

"  See  here,  Chip,  explain  yourself,"  and  Dave's 
voice  became  somewhat  stern. 

"  I  will !  I  will !  But  it  is  so  awful !  Why,  the 
Doctor  may  suspend  Gus !  And  I  thought  he  was 
going  to  reform !  "  Chip  Macklin's  voice  trem- 
bled so  he  could  hardly  frame  the  words. 

"  Will  you  tell  me  just  what  you  mean?  " 

11 1  will  if — if  you'll  try  to  help  Gus,  Dave. 
Oh,  I  know  you'll  help  him — you  did  before! 
It's  such  a  shame  to  see  him  throw  himself 
away!  " 

Dave  looked  the  small  student  in  the  eyes  and 
there  was  a  moment  of  silence. 

"  I  guess  I  know  what  you  mean,  Chip.  Where 
is  Gus?" 

11  Come  on  and  I'll  show  you." 

The  pair  hurried  downstairs.  In  the  lower  hall 
they  ran  into  Shadow. 

"  I  "was  looking  for  you,  Dave,"  said  the  story- 


104    ^AVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

teller  of  the  school.  "  I  want  you  to  do  something 
for  me  and — and  for  Gus  Plum." 

"  Why,  Shadow,  Chip-- What  do  you  know 

about  Gus?" 

The  three  boys  stared  at  each  other.  On  the 
instant  they  felt  all  knew  what  was  wrong. 

"  Was  that  what  you  said  you'd  tell  me  about 
sometime,  Shadow?"  asked  Dave,  in  a  whisper. 

"  Yes." 

"Then  it  has  happened  before?" 

"  Yes,  about  three  weeks  after  you  and  Roger 
went  to  Europe.  I  met  him  on  the  road,  coming 
to  the  school  after  spending  several  hours  at  some 
tavern  in  Oakdale.  He  wouldn't  say  where  he  got 
the  liquor.  I  wouldn't  let  him  come  to  Oak  Hall 
until  late  at  night.  Then  we  got  in  by  a  side  door 
and  I  helped  him  to  get  to  bed.  In  the  morning 
he  was  quite  sick,  but  I  don't  think  anybody  sus- 
pected the  cause.  That  afternoon  he  told  me  he 
would  never  touch  liquor  again." 

While  Shadow  was  talking  the  three  boys  had 
left  the  school  buildings  and  were  hurrying  around 
to  the  rear  of  one  of  the  carriage  sheds.  Here  was 
a  small  building  which  had  once  been  used  as  a 
granary  but  was  now  partly  filled  with  old  garden 
implements  and  cut  wood. 

It  was  dark  in  the  building  and  from  a  corner 
came  the  sounds  of  somebody  breathing  heavily. 
Shadow  struck  a  match  and  held  it  up. 


AT  THE  OLD  GRANARY  105 

There,  upon  a  pile  of  old  potato  sacks,  lay  Gus 
Plum,  sleeping  soundly.  Close  at  hand  lay  a  small 
flask  which  had  contained  liquor  but  which 
was  now  empty.  Dave  smelt  of  it,  and  then, 
going  to  the  doorway,  threw  it  far  out  into  the 
deep  snow. 

If  Dave's  heart  had  never  been  heavy  before 
it  was  heavy  now.  Gus  Plum  had  promised  faith- 
fully to  reform  and  he  had  imagined  that  the 
former  bully  would  keep  his  word.  But,  according 
to  Shadow's  statement,  Plum  had  fallen  from  grace 
twice,  and  if  he  would  reform  at  all  was  now  a 
question. 

"It's  fearful,  isn't  it,  Dave?"  said  the  story- 
teller of  the  school,  in  a  whisper. 

"  Yes,  Shadow,  I — I  hardly  know  what  to  say — 
I  hoped  for  so  much  from  Gus — I  thought  he'd 
make  one  of  the  best  fellows  in  this  school  after 
all — after    he    had    lived    down    the    past.     But 

now "     Dave's  voice  broke  and  he  could  not 

go  on  for  a  moment. 

"  We  can't  leave  him  here — and  if  we  take  him 
into  the  school "  began  Chip  Macklin. 

"  How  long  has  he  been  here?  " 

"  Not  over  an  hour  or  two,"  answered  Shadow. 

"  He  must  have  gone  to  town  for  the  liquor." 

"  Unless  he  had  it  on  hand — he  went  to  town  a 
couple  of  days  ago,"  said  Chip. 

"  We've  got  to  do  something  quick — or  we'll 


106    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

be  missed  from  the  dining  hall,"  continued 
Shadow. 

"You  fellows  can  go  back,  Shadow;  I'll  take 
care  of  him.  Make  some  kind  of  an  excuse  for 
my  absence — say  I  didn't  care  for  anything  to 
eat." 

"  But  what  will  you  do,  Dave?  " 

"  I  don't  know  yet — but  I'll  fix  it  up  somehow, 
This  must  be  kept  a  secret,  not  only  on  Gus's  ac- 
count but  for  the  honor  of  Oak  Hall.  If  this  got 
out  to  the  public,  it  would  give  the  school  a  terrible 
black  eye." 

"  I  know  that.  Why,  my  father  would  never  let 
me  attend  a  school  where  there  was  any  drinking 
going  on." 

"  Doctor  Clay  isn't  responsible  for  this — nobody 
is  responsible  but  Gus  himself, — unless  somebody 
led  him  on.  But  go  on,  there  goes  the  last  bell  for 
supper." 

Shadow  passed  over  half  a  dozen  matches  he 
carried  and  went  out,  followed  by  Chip  Macklin. 
Dave  stood  in  the  dark,  listening  to  Gus  Plum's 
heavy  breathing.  He  did  not  know  what  to  do,  yet 
he  felt  he  had  a  duty  to  perform  and  he  made  up 
his  mind  to  perform  it.  At  any  hazard  he  must 
keep  the  former  bully  from  public  exposure,  and 
he  must  do  his  best  to  make  Plum  reform  once 
more.  He  uttered  a  prayer  that  Heaven  might 
help  him  to  do  what  was  best. 


AT  THE  OLD  GRANARY  107 

Lighting  another  match,  Dave  espied  an  old 
lantern  on  a  shelf,  half  filled  with  dirty  oil,  and 
lit  it.  Then  he  approached  Plum  and  touched  him 
on  the  arm.  The  sleeping  youth  did  not  awaken, 
and  even  when  Dave  shook  him  he  still  slumbered 
on. 

To  take  him  into  the  school  in  that  condition 
was  out  of  the  question,  yet  it  would  not  do  to  let 
him  remain  in  the  old  granary,  where  during  the 
night  he  might  freeze  to  death.  Dave  thought  of 
the  barn,  with  its  warm  hay,  and  blowing  out  the 
lantern,  left  the  granary  and  walked  to  the  other 
buildings. 

Fortune  favored  him,  for  neither  Lemond  nor 
the  stableman  was  around,  both  being  at  supper 
in  the  servants'  quarters.  There  was  a  back  door 
and  a  ladder  to  the  hayloft  which  might  be  used. 
He  ran  back  to  the  granary,  picked  up  Gus  Plum 
and  the  lantern,  and  started  on  the  trip.  The 
former  bully  of  the  school  was  no  light  weight  and 
Dave  staggered  under  the  load.  Once  he  slipped 
in  the  snow  and  almost  went  down,  but  saved  him- 
self in  time  and  kept  on.  Then  came  the  tug  up 
the  ladder.  During  this  Plum's  hand  was  pinched 
and  he  uttered  a  grunt. 

"  Shay — don't  touch  me,"  he  muttered  thickly, 
but  before  Dave  could  answer  he  was  slumbering 
again. 

The  hayloft  gained,  Dave  deposited  his  burden 


108    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

in  a  far  corner,  where  nobody  was  likely  to  see  or 
hear  him.  He  lit  the  lantern  and  made  Plum  a 
comfortable  bed  and  covered  him  up,  so  that  he 
might  not  take  cold.  Then  he  took  a  card  from 
his  pocket  and  wrote  on  it  in  leadpencil : 

"Gus: 

"  I  brought  you  here  from  the  old  granary. 
Nobody  but  Chip  and  Shadow  know  and  they 
will  keep  silent.  Please,  please  brace  up  and  be  a 
man.  "  Dave." 

This  card  he  fastened  by  a  string  to  Plum's 
wrist.  Then  he  put  out  the  lantern,  left  the  barn, 
and  hurried  back  to  the  school.  As  he  entered  he 
found  Shadow  on  the  watch. 

"  Just  got  through  with  supper,"  whispered  the 
youth.  "  Nobody  asked  about  you.  I  guess  you 
can  slip  into  your  seat  and  get  something,  anyway." 
And  Dave  did  this  without  trouble.  That  Job 
Haskers  should  miss  a  chance  to  mark  him  down 
for  tardiness  was  remarkable,  but  the  fact  was 
Haskers  was  in  a  hurry  to  get  away  and  conse- 
quently did  not  notice  all  that  was  taking  place. 

Dave  did  not  sleep  well  that  night,  and  he  roused 
up  a  dozen  times  or  more,  thinking  he  heard  Gus 
Plum  coming  in.  But  all  the  alarms  were  false, 
for  Gus  Plum  did  not  show  himself  until  break- 
fast time.     He  looked  flushed  and  sick  and  ate 


AT  THE  OLD  GRANARY  109 

scarcely  a  mouthful.  Some  of  his  dormitory  mates 
wanted  to  know  where  he  had  been  during  the 
night,  but  he  did  not  tell  them. 

At  first  Dave  thought  he  would  go  to  the  former 
bully  and  talk  to  him,  but  then  he  concluded  to  let 
the  matter  rest  with  Plum.  The  latter  came  to  him 
just  before  the  noon  session. 

"  Will  you  take  a  skate  with  me  after  school, 
Dave?"  he  asked,  very  humbly. 

"  Certainly,  Gus." 

"  I — I  want  to  go  with  you  alone,"  faltered  the 
big  lad. 

11  Very  well — I  shan't  tell  any  of  the  others," 
returned  Dave. 

A  fine  snow  was  falling  when  the  school  session 
was  over,  but  none  of  the  pupils  minded  this. 
Dave  took  his  skates  and  went  to  the  river,  and 
Plum  followed.  Soon  the  pair  were  skating  by 
themselves.  When  they  had  turned  a  bend,  Plum 
led  the  way  to  a  secluded  spot,  under  the  wide- 
spreading  branches  of  an  oak,  and  with  a  deep  sigh 
threw  himself  down  on  a  rock. 

"I  suppose  you've  got  your  own  opinion  of  me," 
he  began,  bitterly,  and  with  his  face  turned  away. 
"  I  don't  blame  you — it's  what  I  deserve.  I  hadn't 
any  right  to  promise  you  that  I'd  reform,  for  it 
doesn't  seem  to  be  in  me.  My  appetite  for  liquor 
is  too  strong  for  me.  Now,  don't  say  it  isn't,  for 
I  know  it  is." 


no    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 
"  Why,  Gus " 


"Please  don't  interrupt  me,  Dave;  it's  hard 
enough  for  me  to  talk  as  it  is.  But  you've  been  my 
one  good  friend,  and  I  feel  I've  got  to  tell  you  the 
whole  truth.  I  want  you  to  know  it  all — every- 
thing.   Will  you  listen  until  I  have  finished?  " 

"  Certainly.    Go  ahead." 


CHAPTER  XII 

gus  plum's  story 

"  You  may  think  it  strange  when  I  tell  you  that 
I  come  by  my  appetite  for  liquor  naturally,  yet 
such  is  a  fact,"  began  Gus  Plum,  after  a  pause, 
during  which  he  seemed  to  collect  his  thoughts. 
"  You  fellows  who  don't  know  what  such  an  appe- 
tite is  are  lucky — far  more  lucky  than  you  can  real- 
ize. It's  an  awful  thing  to  have  such  an  appetite — 
it  makes  one  feel  at  times  as  though  he  were 
doomed. 

"  We  always  had  liquor  at  our  house  and  my 
folks  drank  it  at  meals,  just  as  their  folks  had  done 
before  them,  so  I  heard.  When  I  was  a  small  boy 
I  was  allowed  to  have  my  glass  of  wine,  and  on 
holidays  we  had  punch  and  I  got  my  share.  Some- 
times, I  can  remember,  friends  remonstrated  with 
my  folks  for  letting  me  have  the  stuff,  but  my 
father  would  laugh  and  say  it  was  all  right — that 
he  had  had  it  himself  when  he  was  a  boy  and  that 
it  wouldn't  hurt  me.  My  father  never  drank  to 
excess,  to  my  knowledge,  but  his  brother,  my  uncle, 
did,  and  once  when  Uncle  Jim  was  under  the  in- 


ii2    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

fluence  of  liquor,  he  slipped  under  a  street  car  and 
had  his  arm  crushed  so  badly  he  had  to  have  it 
amputated. 

"  My  uncle's  losing  that  arm  scared  me  a  little. 
I  was  then  about  ten  years  old,  and  I  made  up 
my  mind  I  wouldn't  drink  much  more.  But  the 
stuff  tasted  good  to  me  and  I  didn't  want  to  break 
off  entirely.  So  I  continued  to  drink  a  little  and 
then  a  little  more,  until  I  thought  I  couldn't  have 
my  dinner  without  wine,  or  something  like  that,  to 
go  with  it. 

"  When  I  was  about  thirteen  a  lady  I  knew  well 
gave  a  New  Year's  party  to  a  lot  of  young  folks, 
and  I  was  invited.  I  was  one  of  the  youngest  boys 
there.  The  lady  had  punch,  set  out  in  a  big  cut- 
glass  bowl  on  a  stand  in  a  corner  of  the  hall,  with 
sandwiches  and  cake  alongside.  I  tried  that  punch 
and  liked  it,  and  I  drank  so  much  that  I  got  noisy, 
and  the  lady  had  to  send  me  home  in  her  carriage. 

"  I  guess  that  woke  my  father  up  to  the  fact  that 
matters  were  going  too  far,  and  he  told  me  I 
mustn't  drink  liquor  away  from  home.  He 
couldn't  stop  me  from  drinking  at  our  house,  for 
he  had  it  himself  there.  But  he  had  helped  me  to 
get  the  appetite,  and  I  couldn't  stop.  On  the  next 
Fourth  of  July  I  spent  my  money  in  a  tavern  some 
distance  away  from  where  we  lived,  and  there  some 
rascals — I  can't  call  them  men — treated  me  lib- 
erally, just  to  see  me  make  a  fool  of  myself,  I  sup- 


GUS  PLUM'S  STORY  113 

pose.  The  fellows  teased  me  until  I  got  in  a  rage 
and  I  took  up  a  bottle  and  cracked  it  to  pieces  over 
one  fellow's  head,  injuring  him  badly. 

"  This  brought  matters  to  a  climax  and  my 
father  told  me  he  was  going  to  send  me  to  boarding 
school.  I  did  not  want  to  go  at  first,  but  he  said 
he  felt  sure  it  would  do  me  good,  and  finally  I  went 
to  Sandville,  and  then  came  to  Oak  Hall. 

"  At  first  all  went  well,  for  I  saw  no  liquor  and 
got  little  chance  to  get  any,  but  after  a  while  the 
appetite  forced  itself  on  me  once  more,  and — and 
you  know  what  followed." 

As  Gus  Plum  concluded  he  covered  his  face  with 
his  hands  and  looked  the  picture  of  misery  and 
despair.  Dave  had  sunk  down  on  the  rock  beside 
him  and  he  placed  a  hand  on  the  other's  shoulder. 

"  Is  that  all,  Gus  ?  "  he  asked,  quietly. 

"  About  all,"  was  the  low  answer.  "  But  I  want 
you  to  know  one  thing  more,  Dave.  When  you 
went  away  to  Europe  I  intended  to  keep  my  prom- 
ise and  make  a  man  of  myself.  I  got  along  all 
right  at  first,  but  one  Saturday  afternoon  Link 
Merwell  asked  me  to  go  to  Rockville  with  him." 

"Merwell!" 

"  Yes.  I  don't  care  for  him  much,  yet  he  was 
very  friendly  and  I  said  I'd  go.  We  visited  a  place 
where  they  have  a  poolroom  in  the  rear,  and  he 
urged  me  to  play  pool  with  him,  and  I  did.  Then 
he  offered  me  a  cigar,  and  finally  he  treated  to 


ii4    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

liquor.  I  said  I  had  stopped  drinking,  but  he 
laughed  at  me  and  held  a  glass  of  strong  stuff  to 
my  face  and  dared  me  to  take  it, — said  I  was  a 
baby  to  refuse.  And  I  took  it, — and  then  I  treated 
him,  and  we  both  took  too  much.  I  came  back  to 
school  alone,  for  we  got  into  a  row  when  he  spoke 
of  you  and  said  mean  things  about  you.  When  I 
got  to  Oak  Hall  I  might  have  gotten  into  more 
trouble,  only  Shadow  Hamilton  cared  for  me,  as 
maybe  you  know.  Merwell  wasn't  under  the  in- 
fluence of  liquor  very  much,  but  he  had  enough 
to  be  ugly,  and  he  got  into  a  row  with  Mr.  Dale 
and  came  pretty  near  to  being  sent  home.  Then 
he  had  another  row  with  the  teacher  and  went  off 
on  his  vacation.  He  somehow  blamed  Phil  Law- 
rence, but  Phil  had  nothing  to  do  with  it." 

"  Yes,  Phil  wrote  to  me  about  that  last  row," 
answered  Dave.  "  But  to  come  back  to  yourself, 
Gus."  His  face  grew  sober.  "  You've  certainly  had 
a  hard  time  of  it,  and,  somehow,  I  don't  think  you 
alone  are  to  blame  for  all  that  has  happened.  I 
have  no  appetite  for  liquor,  but  I  think  I  can  under- 
stand something  of  what  it  means.  But  let  me 
tell  you  one  thing."  Dave's  voice  grew  intensely 
earnest.  "  It's  all  nonsense  to  say  you  are  not  go- 
ing to  reform — that  you  can't  do  it.  You  can 
reform  if  you'll  only  use  your  whole  will  power." 

11  But  look  at  what  I've  tried  already!  "  Plum's 
tone  was  utterly  hopeless.     "  Oh,  you  don't  know 


GUS  PLUM'S  STORY  115 

how  I've  fought  against  it!  People  who  haven't 
any  appetite  for  liquor  don't  know  anything  about 
it.  It's  like  a  snake  around  your  neck  strangling 
you!" 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't  give  up — not  as  long  as  I 
had  any  backbone  left.  Just  make  up  your  mind 
from  this  minute  on  that  you  won't  touch  another 
drop  of  any  kind,  no  matter  who  offers  it.  Don't 
say  to  yourself,  '  Oh,  I'll  take  a  little  now  and 
then,  and  let  it  go  at  that.'  Break  off  clean  and 
clear, — and  keep  away  from  all  places  where  liquor 
is  sold." 

"  Yes,  but "    Plum's  voice  was  as  hopeless 

as  before. 

"  No  '  buts  '  about  it,  Gus.  I  want  you  to  make 
a  man  of  yourself.  You  can  do  it  if  you'll  only 
try.  Won't  you  try? — for  your  own  sake — for 
my  sake — for  the  honor  of  Oak  Hall?  Say  yes, 
and  then  thrust  liquor  out  of  your  mind  forever — 
don't  even  let  yourself  think  of  it.  Get  interested 
in  your  studies,  in  skating,  boating,  gymnastics, 
baseball, — anything.  Before  you  know  it,  you'll 
have  a  death  grip  on  that  habit  and  it  will  have  to 
die." 

"  Do  you  really  believe  that,  Dave?  " 

"I  do.  Why,  look  at  it — some  men  right  down 
in  the  gutter  have  reformed,  and  they  didn't  pos- 
sess any  more  backbone  than  you.  All  you  want  to 
do  is  to  exert  your  will  power.     Fight  the  thing 


u6    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

just  as  you  used  to  fight  me  and  some  of  the  other 
fellows,  and  let  that  fight  be  one  to  a  finish.  Now, 
come,  what  do  you  say?  " 

"  I'll  fight !  "  cried  Gus  Plum,  leaping  to  his  feet 
and  with  a  new  light  shining  in  his  eyes.  "  I'll 
fight!  Oh,  Dave,  you're  a  wonderful  fellow,  to 
put  new  backbone  in  me !  I  felt  I  had  to  give  up — 
that  I  couldn't  win  out,  that  everything  was  against 
me.  Now  I'll  do  as  you  say.  I  won't  even  think 
of  liquor  again,  and  I  won't  go  where  I  can  get  it." 

"  Give  me  your  hand  on  that,  Gus."  The  pair 
shook  hands.  "  Now  let  us  continue  our  skate. 
Perhaps  we'll  meet  Shadow  and  Chip.  I  know 
they'll  be  glad  to  hear  of  what  you  intend  to  do. 
They  want  you  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf  just  as  much 
as  I  do.  And  after  this,  take  my  advice  and  drop 
Link  Merwell." 

"  I'll  do  it.  As  I  said,  I  never  cared  much  for 
him." 

The  two  left  the  spot  where  the  conversation 
had  ensued  and  skated  up  the  river  for  a  consider- 
able distance.  As  they  disappeared  another  youth 
stole  forth  from  behind  some  bushes  near  by  and 
skated  off  in  the  opposite  direction.  The  youth 
was  Link  Merwell. 

"  So  that  was  the  trouble  with  Gus  Plum  last 
night,  and  that  is  what  he  has  got  to  say  about 
me !  "  muttered  the  bully,  savagely.  "  Well,  I  am 
glad  I  know  so  much  of  his  history — it  may  come 


GUS  PLUM'S  STORY  117 

useful  some  time !  He  may  get  under  Dave  Por- 
ter's wing,  but  I  am  not  done  with  him  yet — nor 
done  with  Porter  either !  " 

It  was  not  long  before  Dave  and  Plum  met 
Shadow,  and  a  little  later  the  three  saw  Chip 
Macklin.  All  four  went  off  in  a  bunch,  and 
Dave  with  much  tact  told  of  what  Gus  proposed 
to  do. 

"  It  is  very  nice  of  you  to  keep  this  a  secret," 
said  Plum.  "  I  shall  always  remember  it,  and  if  I 
can  ever  do  anything  for  any  of  you  I'll  do  it. 
You  are  all  good  friends,  and  Dave  is  the  best  fel- 
low I  ever  met !  " 

They  skated  on  for  fully  a  mile,  the  fine  snow 
pelting  them  in  the  face.  But  nobody  minded  this, 
for  all  felt  happy :  Plum  to  think  that  he  was  going 
to  have  another  chance  to  redeem  himself,  and  the 
others  over  the  consciousness  that  they  had  done  a 
fellow-being  some  good. 

"  Time  to  get  home !  "  cried  Shadow,  looking 
at  his  watch.    "  What  do  you  say  to  a  race  back?  " 

"  How  much  of  a  start  will  you  give  me?  "  asked 
Chip.  "I've  got  no  chance  otherwise  against  you 
big  fellows." 

"  We'll  give  you  fifteen  seconds,"  answered 
Dave.     "  One,  two,  three — go !  " 

Soon  the  race  was  on  in  earnest.  Chip  Macklin 
was  well  in  the  lead  and  the  others  started  in  a 
bunch.     Gradually  Shadow  went  ahead  of  Dave 


n8     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

and  Gus  Plum,  but  then  Plum  drew  closer,  and 
when  they  reached  the  school  dock,  Plum  and  Dave 
were  a  tie,  with  Shadow  and  Chip  close  on  their 
heels. 

"  That  puts  new  life  in  a  fellow  I  "  declared 
Dave.  "  Gus,  you  came  pretty  near  to  beating 
me. 

"  Your  wind  is  better  than  mine,"  was  the  an- 
swer. Plum  felt  he  might  have  won  had  it  not  been 
for  the  dissipation  of  the  day  previous.  Dissipa- 
tion and  athletic  supremacy  of  any  kind  never  go 
well  together. 

A  week  slipped  by  quietly  and  during  that  time 
Dave,  Roger,  and  Phil  got  the  chance  to  go  rabbit 
hunting  and  brought  in  twelve  rabbits.  Gus  Plum 
stuck  to  his  resolve  to  do  better,  and  during  school 
hours  gave  his  studies  all  his  attention.  When  not 
thus  employed  he  spent  his  time  in  skating,  snow- 
balling, and  in  the  gymnasium.  He  avoided  Link 
Merwell,  and  for  the  time  being  the  bully  left  him 
alone. 

During  those  days  Dave  received  a  letter  from 
his  sister  Laura,  to  whom  he  had  written  after  his 
talk  with  Merwell.  Laura  stated  that  all  was  go- 
ing along  finely  at  the  Wadsworth  home  and  that 
their  father  was  thinking  seriously  of  buying  a  fine 
mansion  located  across  the  street,  which  would 
keep  the  friends  together.  She  added  that  she  had 
received  a  letter  from  Link  Merwell  and  had  sent 


GUS  PLUM'S  STORY  119 

it  back,  writing  across  the  top,  "  Please  do  not  send 
any  more." 

"  No  wonder  Merwell  looks  so  sour,"  mused 
Dave,  after  reading  his  sister's  communication. 
"  I  suppose  he  is  mad  enough  at  me  to  chew  me 
up." 

As  my  old  readers  know,  there  was  at  Oak  Hall 
a  secret  society  known  as  the  Gee  Eyes,  this  name 
standing  for  the  initials  G.  I.,  which  in  their  turn 
stood  for  the  words  Guess  It.  The  society  was 
kept  up  almost  solely  for  the  fun  of  initiating  new 
members.  On  coming  to  the  school  Dave  had  had 
to  submit  to  a  strenuous  initiation,  which  he  had 
accepted  without  a  murmur.  All  his  chums  were 
members,  and  the  boys  had  gotten  much  fun  out  of 
the  organization. 

"  Call  for  a  special  meeting  of  the  Gee  Eyes 
to-night,"  said  Ben  Basswood,  one  afternoon. 
"  Going  to  initiate  three  new  members — Tom  At- 
wood  and  the  Soden  brothers.  Be  on  hand  early, 
at  the  old  boathouse." 

"What  are  we  going  to  do  to  'em?"  asked 
Dave,  with  a  grin. 

"  That  is  something  Sam,  Buster,  and  some  of 
the  others  want  to  talk  over.  They'd  like  to  do 
something  brand-new." 

"  I  think  I  can  tell  them  of  one  thing  to  try," 
said  Dave. 

"What?" 


120    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Make  one  of  'em  think  he  is  crossing  Jack- 
son's Gully  on  a  narrow  board." 

"Good,  Dave;  that  will  do  first-rate!"  cried 
Ben.  "  I  hope  we  can  think  of  two  other  things 
equally  good." 

About  an  hour  later  Dave  met  some  of  the 
others,  and  a  general  discussion  regarding  the 
initiations  for  that  evening  took  place.  A  score 
of  u  stunts  "  were  suggested,  and  at  last  three  were 
selected,  and  the  committee  got  ready  to  carry  out 
their  plans. 

Link  Merwell  was  not  a  member  of  the  Gee 
Eyes.  He  had  once  been  proposed  and  been  re- 
jected, which  had  made  him  very  angry.  In  some 
manner  he  heard  of  the  proposed  initiations,  and 
he  did  his  best  to  learn  what  was  going  on.  As 
we  know,  he  was  not  above  playing  the  eaves- 
dropper, and  now  he  followed  Dave  and  his  friends 
to  learn  their  secrets. 

"  So  that  is  what  they  are  up  to,"  he  said. 
"  Well,  let  them  go  ahead.  Perhaps  I  can  put  a 
spoke  in  their  wheel  when  they  least  expect  it !  " 
And  then  he  chuckled  to  himself  as  he  thought  of  a 
plan  to  make  the  initiations  end  in  disaster. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE   GEE   EYES'   INITIATION 

"  Well,  you're  a  sight !  " 

"  I  don't  look  any  more  stylish  than  yourself, 
Roger." 

11  Stylish  is  good,  Dave.  I  guess  both  of  us  look 
like  circus  clowns." 

"  Whoop  la  !  "  shouted  Buster  Beggs.  "  Ladies 
and  gentlemen,  allow  me  to  introduce  to  you 
the  renowned  Oak  Hall  Company  of  Left-Over 
Clowns  and  Monkeys — the  most  unique  aggrega- 
tion of  monstrosities  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 
This  one  has  the  reputation  of " 

"  Hush,  not  so  loud,  Buster  1  "  cried  Dave,  "  or 
you'll  have  old  Haskers  down  on  us,  and  that  will 
spoil  the  fun." 

"  Speaking  of  looking  like  clowns  puts  me  in 
mind  of  a  story,"  came  from  Shadow,  who  was  still 
struggling  to  get  into  his  club  outfit.  "  One  time  a 
country  fellow  who  wasn't  a  bit  good-looking 
wanted  to  join  a  circus  as  a  clown.  He  went  to  see 
the  manager.  '  Can  I  have  a  job  as  a  clown? '  he 
asked.     '  Well,  I  don't  know,'  answered  the  man- 


122    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

ager,  slowly,  as  he  looked  him  over.  '  Who 
showed  you  how  to  make  up  your  face?  It's  pretty 
well  done.'  "    And  the  usual  short  laugh  went  up. 

The  Gee  Eyes  in  the  past  had  worn  simple  robes 
of  red  with  black  hoods  over  their  heads.  Now, 
by  a  special  vote,  they  had  purchased  robes  that 
were  striped — red,  white,  and  yellow.  For  head- 
gear each  member  had  a  box-like  contrivance, 
cubical  in  shape,  with  holes  in  the  front  for  the 
eyes  and  an  orange-like  lantern  on  top,  with  a 
candle  in  it.  This  box  rested  on  the  shoulders  of 
the  wearer,  thus  concealing  his  identity  completely. 

In  the  past,  Phil  Lawrence  had  been  president  of 
the  organization,  but  now  that  office  was  filled  by 
Sam  Day,  under  the  title  of  Right  Honorable 
Muck-a-Muck.  Ben  Basswood  was  secretary,  and 
was  called  the  Lord  of  the  Penwiper;  Buster  Beggs 
was  treasurer,  known  as  the  Guardian  of  the 
Dimes,  and  Luke  Watson  was  sergeant-at-arms 
under  the  title  of  Captain  Doorkeep. 

The  organization  met  whenever  and  wherever 
it  was  convenient.  This  was  done  for  two  rea- 
sons :  first,  because  the  members  did  not  wish  their 
enemies  to  know  what  they  were  doing,  or  other- 
wise information  might  be  imparted  to  the  teachers; 
and,  second,  they  never  met  unless  they  were  going 
to  initiate  a  new  member  or  were  going  to  have 
some  sort  of  a  feast. 

"Where    are    the    intended    victims?"    asked 


THE  GEE  EYES'  INITIATION  123 

Dave,  after  he  had  adjusted  his  robe  and  his  head- 
gear to  his  satisfaction,  and  possessed  himself  of  a 
long  stuffed  club. 

"  They  were  told  to  wait  in  the  old  granary  until 
called  for,"  answered  Messmer. 

"Do  they  seem  to  be  timid  about  joining?" 
asked  Ben. 

"  Tom  Atwood  is  a  little  timid, — he  heard  how 
little  Frank  Bond  was  almost  scared  to  death  by 
Gus  Plum's  crowd  one  term." 

"  By  the  way,  where  is  Gus?"  asked  Henshaw. 

"  He  said  he  wanted  to  study,"  answered  Dave. 
11 1  asked  him  to  come,  but  he  wouldn't." 

"  My,  but  didn't  Gus  give  us  a  funny  story  the 
time  we  initiated  him !  "  cried  one  of  the  students. 

"  Yes,  and  do  you  remember  how  Link  Merwell 
and  Nat  Poole  placed  those  big  firecrackers  under 
our  fire  and  nearly  blew  us  all  to  pieces,"  added 
another. 

11  Never  mind — we  got  square,"  said  Buster. 
"  I  guess  they  haven't  forgotten  yet  the  drubbing 
we  gave  them." 

It  was  late  at  night,  and  the  boys  had  had  not  a 
little  difficulty  in  stealing  away  from  the  school 
unobserved.  With  all  in  readiness,  the  three  boys 
who  were  awaiting  to  be  initiated  were  sent  for, 
and  they  presently  appeared,  escorted  by  four  of 
the  club  members,  each  carrying  a  bright  and  very 
blunt  sword.    As  they  came  into  the  old  boathouse, 


124    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

lit  up  by  various  fantastic  lanterns  representing 
skulls,  dragons,  and  the  like,  the  Gee  Eyes  set  up 
a  low  chant: 

"  Hail  the  victims  !  Let  them  come  ! 
Let  them  enter,  one  by  one  1 
Let  them  bow  the  humble  knee ! 
Let  them  now  forsake  all  glee  ! 
Death  !  Blood  !  Tomb  ! " 

And  then  arose  a  weird  groaning,  calculated  to 
make  any  lad  feel  uneasy.  The  three  victims  were 
forced  to  their  knees  and  made  to  touch  three 
chalk-marks  on  the  floor  with  their  noses.  Then 
one  of  the  members  of  the  club  came  forward  with 
a  big  tin  wash-basin  and  sprinkled  them  with  what 
looked  to  be  water  but  was  really  ammonia.  This 
caused  some  coughing  and  some  tears  commenced 
to  flow.  But  the  victims  were  "  game  "  and  said 
nothing. 

"  Lock  two  of  them  in  yonder  dungeon  cell," 
commanded  the  Right  Honorable  Muck-a-Muck. 
"  They  shall  be  led  to  their  fate  later."  And  the 
Soden  brothers,  twins  named  Joe  and  Henry,  were 
led  to  a  big  closet  of  the  old  boathouse  and  thrust 
inside. 

Then  Tom  Atwood  was  taken  outside,  and  a 
long  march  commenced  behind  the  school  grounds 
and  leading  to  a  secluded  spot  among  some  bushes. 
Here  Atwood  was  suddenly  blindfolded  and  his 
hands  tied  behind  him. 


"  Now  to  Jackson'8  Gul.lt  with  him  !  "  —  Page  125. 


THE  GEE  EYES'  INITIATION  125 

"  Now  to  Jackson's  Gully  with  him,"  cried  sev- 
eral, and  then  the  party  proceeded  a  little  further 
into  the  bushes. 

"  Look  out,  don't  slip  into  the  gully,"  whispered 
one  member,  but  loud  enough  for  Tom  Atwood  to 
hear. 

"  Oh,  I'll  take  care ! "  whispered  another. 
"  Why,  the  gully  is  a  hundred  feet  deep  around 
here." 

Then  Tom  Atwood  was  led  up  and  over  some 
rocks  and  halted  a  short  distance  beyond. 

"  Say,  that  looks  mighty  dangerous  to  me," 
whispered  Roger. 

"  Oh,  he'll  get  over  if  he's  got  nerve,"  answered 
Dave. 

11  Base  slave,  list  thou  to  me!  "  cried  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Gee  Eyes.  "  We  have  brought  thee  to 
the  edge  of  a  gully  some  hundred  feet  deep.  If 
thou  wouldst  become  a  member  of  this  notorious — 
I  mean  illustrious — organization  thou  must  cross 
the  gully  on  the  bridge  we  have  provided.  Dost 
thou  accept  the  condition?  " 

"  I — I  don't  know,"  faltered  Tom  Atwood. 
"  I — I  can't  see  a  thing." 

"  Nor  wilt  thou  until  thy  task  is  accomplished. 
The  gully  must  be  crossed,  otherwise  thou  canst 
not  be  of  us." 

11  How  big  is  the  bridge? " 

"  One  board  wide." 


126    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Any — er — handrail  ?  "  went  on  the  victim. 

"  Nary  a  handrail,"  piped  up  a  small  voice  from 
the  rear.  "  What  do  you  want  for  your  money, 
anyway?  " 

"  Say,  that  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story " 


came  from  another,  but  he  stopped  short  as  a  fel- 
low-member hit  him  with  a  stuffed  club. 

"  I — I  don't  know  about  this "  began  Tom 

Atwood.  "  I — oh,  say,  let  up !  "  he  cried,  as  he  re- 
ceived several  blows  from  stuffed  clubs.  "  I — 
oh,  my  back!  " 

"Wilt  try  the  bridge?"  demanded  the  Right 
Honorable  Muck-a-Muck. 

"  Yes,  yes,  but  can't  I — I  crawl  if  I  want  to?  " 

"  Thou  canst,  after  thou  hast  taken  seven  steps." 

"  All  right,  here  goes  then." 

Tom  Atwood  was  led  forward  to  the  end  of  a 
long  plank. 

"  Be  careful,"  he  was  cautioned.  "  There,  put 
your  foot  there  and  the  other  one  right  there. 
Now  you  are  all  right." 

"  And  must  I  really — er — stand  up  and  take 
seven  steps?" 

"  Yes,  exactly  seven,  or  woe  betide  thee !  "  came 
the  answering  cry. 

With  great  caution  the  blindfolded  victim  took 
a  step  and  then  another.  He  was  trembling  visibly, 
which  caused  the  club  members  to  shake  with  silent 
laughter.    He  counted  the  steps  and  when  he  had 


THE  GEE  EYES'  INITIATION  127 

taken  just  seven  he  fell  on  his  hands  and  knees, 
clutching  the  sides  of  the  plank  tightly. 

"  Ho — how  long  is — is  it?  "  he  asked,  his  teeth 
commencing  to  chatter.  "  I — I  ain't  used  to  climb- 
ing in  such  places.     It — it  makes  me  dizzy!" 

11  Go  on !  go  on !  " 

"  The  plank  is  only  fifty-four  feet  long,"  said 
one  boy. 

"  Oh,  my!  fifty-four  feet;  I'll  go  down — I  know 
I  will!" 

Slowly,  and  clutching  the  plank  with  a  death- 
like grip,  Tom  Atwood  moved  forward  a  distance 
of  eighteen  feet.  Then  the  plank  came  to  an  end. 
He  put  out  one  hand  after  the  other,  but  felt  only 
the  empty  air. 

"  I — I  don't  feel  the  rest  o — of  th — the 
bridge !  "  he  chattered. 

"  It  is  gone !  "  cried  one  boy,  in  a  disguised 
voice.     "  Turn  around  and  come  back." 

u  But  be  careful  how  you  turn,  or  the  board  may 
wabble  and  let  you  drop,"  added  another. 

More  scared  than  ever,  Tom  Atwood  turned 
around  very  gingerly.  Once  he  thought  the  board 
was  going  over,  and  he  set  up  a  yell  of  fright. 
Then  slowly  and  painfully  he  came  back  over  the 
plank  until  he  reached  the  solid  ground  once  more. 

11  Hurrah !  "  cried  the  Gee  Eyes.  "  Bravely 
done,  Tom !  " 

"Now  you  are  one  of  us!" 


128    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  He  didn't  mind  that  deep  gully  at  all !  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  did  mind  it,"  answered  the  victim, 
as  they  were  taking  the  cover  from  his  eyes.  "  I 
wouldn't  do  that  again  for  a  hundred  dollars  in 
cash!" 

"  It  was  certainly  the  bravest  thing  to  do  I  ever 
heard  of,"  was  Dave's  comment,  and  then  he  tore 
the  bandage  away.  Immediately,  by  the  light  of 
the  lanterns  the  boys  had  on  their  headpieces,  Tom 
Atwood  looked  at  the  plank  which  had  cost  him  so 
much  worry  and  fright. 

"  Well,  I  never !  "  he  gasped. 

And  then  what  a  roar  of  laughter  went  up !  And 
well  it  might,  for  the  plank  rested  on  nothing  but 
two  blocks  of  wood  and  was  less  than  a  foot  from 
the  solid  ground !  The  location  was  nowhere  near 
Jackson's  Gully. 

"  Tom,  you'll  do  it  for  a  hundred  dollars  now, 
won't  you  ?  "  questioned  Roger,  earnestly. 

"  Oh,  what  a  sell !  "  answered  the  victim,  sheep- 
ishly. "  Say,  please  don't  tell  the  other  fellows  of 
this,"  he  pleaded.    "  I'll  never  hear  the  end  of  it !  " 

"  The  secrets  of  the  Gee  Eyes  are  never  told  out- 
side," answered  Phil.  "  But  there  is  one  more 
thing  you  must  do,"  he  added. 

"What?" 

"  Carry  that  plank  back  to  the  boathouse." 

"  All  right." 

"  And  here  is  a  suit  for  you,"  said  Ben.     "  Put 


THE  GEE  EYES'  INITIATION  129 

that  on,  and  then  you  can  participate  in  the  initia- 
tion of  the  Soden  brothers." 

"Where  are  they?" 

"  Locked  up  in  the  closet  at  the  old  boathouse." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  them  ?  " 

"  You'll  see  when  you  get  back." 

With  Tom  Atwood  and  the  plank  between  them, 
the  members  of  the  Gee  Eyes  took  up  the  long 
march  back  to  the  old  boathouse.  To  do  this  they 
had  to  cross  a  country  road  which  was  but  little 
used.  As  they  did  this  they  heard  an  unusual  sound 
from  a  clump  of  trees  near  by, 

"  There  they  are !  "  a  voice  called  out.  "  I  told 
you  I  had  seen  some  ghosts." 

"  Sure  enough,  Billy,  they  must  be  ghosts,"  was 
the  reply,  in  a  deeper  voice.  "  It's  a  good  thing 
I  brung  my  shotgun  with  me." 

"Are  you  goin'  to  shoot  at  'em?" 

"  That's  what,  Billy." 

Hardly  had  the  words  been  spoken  when,  to  the 
consternation  of  the  Gee  Eyes,  a  shotgun  was  dis- 
charged, the  load  whistling  through  the  trees  over 
the  lads'  heads. 

"Hi!  hi!  stop  that!"  yelled  Buster  Beggs. 
"  We  are  not  ghosts !    We  are " 

Bang!  spoke  up  the  shotgun  a  second  time,  and 
the  load  went  clipping  through  the  bushes  on  the 
left. 

"  Hand  me  your  shotgun,  Billy,"  said  one  of  the 


130     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

voices.  "  I  don't  know  if  I  hit  'em  or  not,  but 
this'll  fetch  'em !  " 

"Run!"  cried  Dave.  "Run  for  your  lives! 
That  old  farmer  is  so  scared  he  doesn't  know  what 
he  is  doing !  " 

And  then  all  the  boys  ran  across  the  roadway 
and  dove  into  the  woods  beyond.  They  heard  an- 
other report,  but  the  contents  of  the  gun  did  not 
reach  them. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

IN  WHICH  JOB  HASKERS  GETS  LEFT  IN  THE  COLD 

The  boys  kept  on  running  for  fully  a  hundred 
yards,  plunging  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  woods 
which  lined  the  roadway.  Tom  Atwood  had 
dropped  the  plank  and  two  of  the  club  members 
had  lost  their  headpieces,  but  nobody  dreamed  of 
going  back  for  the  articles. 

"  I  think  I  know  who  that  man  is,"  said  Phil, 
when  the  crowd  came  to  a  halt. 

"Mike  Marcy?"  questioned  Dave. 

"  Yes." 

"  I  thought  that,  too,  but  I  wasn't  sure.  He 
called  the  other  fellow  Billy." 

"  He  has  a  boy  working  for  him  now  and  his 
name  is  Billy,"  said  Shadow.  "  I  met  him  on  the 
road  several  times,  driving  cows.  He  isn't  just 
right  in  his  mind.  I  suppose  Marcy  got  him  to 
work  cheap." 

"  I  wonder  if  Marcy  really  thought  we  were 
ghosts?  "  mused  the  senator's  son.  "  Maybe  he  only 
said  that  to  scare  us.  He  might  have  thought  we 
were  up  to  some  kind  of  a  job  around  his  farm." 

131 


132    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Well,  whether  he  thought  we  were  ghosts  or 
not,  he  certainly  shot  at  us,"  was  Phil's  comment. 
"Ugh!  I  am  glad  I  didn't  get  a  dose  of  the 
shot!" 

"  And  so  am  I,"  answered  several  others. 

"  That  is  one  more  black  mark  against  Mike 
Marcy,"  said  Luke  Watson.  "  We'll  have  to  re- 
member to  pay  him  "back." 

"  Never  mind  about  paying  him  back  just  now," 
answered  Roger.  "  The  question  is,  What's  to  do 
next  ?  That  run  warmed  me  up  and  I'll  take  cold 
if  I  stand  here  long  doing  nothing." 

"  We  must  get  back  to  the  boathouse.  Remem- 
ber, the  Soden  boys  are  still  locked  up  in  that 
closet.  It  hasn't  much  ventilation  and  we  don't 
want  them  to  smother." 

11  I'm  not  going  around  by  the  road,"  said  Hen- 
shaw. 

"  Not  on  your  life !  "  exclaimed  Ben.  "  I'd 
rather  go  down  to  the  river  and  walk  over  the 
ice." 

It  was  finally  decided  to  follow  Ben's  suggestion, 
and  the  crowd  continued  on  their  way  through  the 
brushwood  until  the  Leming  River  was  reached. 
They  saw  or  heard  nothing  more  of  Mike  Marcy 
and  his  hired  boy,  for  which  they  were  thankful. 
Reaching  the  ice,  they  set  off  at  a  dog-trot  for  the 
old  boathouse. 

"  If  we  only  had  skates  this  would  be  fine,"  de- 


HASKERS  GETS  LEFT  IN  THE  COLD     133 

clared  Dave.  "  But  as  we  haven't  any  we've  got 
to  make  the  best  of  it." 

"  As  the  servant  girl  said,  when  she  told  her 
mistress  that  she  couldn't  make  sponge  cake  be- 
cause they  didn't  have  any  sponges,"  answered 
the  senator's  son. 

"  Say,  that  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story  about 

a "  began  Shadow.     But  just  then  one  of  the 

boys  put  out  his  foot  and  down  went  the  story- 
teller of  the  school  on  the  ice.  "  Hi,  you  I  "  he 
roared  and  pulled  the  other  youth  on  top  of  him. 
Then  began  a  wild  scramble  on  the  part  of  both 
to  see  who  could  get  up  first,  and  the  story  was 
forgotten. 

When  the  Gee  Eyes  came  in  sight  of  the  old 
boathouse  they  were  surprised  to  learn  it  was  well 
past  midnight. 

"  We'll  have  to  rush  matters,"  said  Dave.  "  If 
we  don't,  somebody  may  report  us,  and  the  doctor 
won't  let  us  off  very  easily  if  we  stay  out  too  late." 

"  Maybe  we'd  better  postpone  the  other  initia- 
tions," suggested  Luke. 

"  Oh,  no,  go  ahead !  "  cried  half  a  dozen.  "  We 
are  safe  enough." 

Entering  the  old  boathouse,  the  boys  lit  all  the 
lanterns  they  possessed,  and  those  who  had  lost 
their  head-coverings  tied  masks  over  their  faces. 
Then  some  approached  the  closet  in  which  the 
Soden  twins  had  been  confined. 


134    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"Hello!" 

11  They  are  gone !  " 

"What  does  this  mean?" 

"  They  must  have  broken  out  and  run  away !  " 

Such  were  some  of  the  exclamations  indulged  in 
when  it  was  found  that  the  apartment  was  empty. 
A  hasty  examination  was  made  of  the  hasp  and 
staple  of  the  door,  and  they  were  found  intact.  A 
wooden  peg  had  served  to  keep  the  hasp  in  place. 

"  It  looks  to  me  as  if  somebody  had  let  them 
out,"  said  Dave,  after  an  examination. 

"But  who  would  do  that,  Dave?"  questioned 
Phil. 

"  Somebody  not  a  member  of  the  Gee  Eyes — 
some  enemy  of  the  club." 

"But  why  should  the  Soden  boys  run  away?" 
asked  Shadow.  "  They  were  willing  to  be  initi- 
ated." 

"  Perhaps  they  got  cold  feet — mentally  as  well 
as  physically,"  ventured  Henshaw.  "  They  may 
have  got  to  talking  things  over  in  the  dark  and 
got  scared." 

"  They  didn't  break  out,  that's  sure,"  declared 
the  senator's  son.  "  Somebody  on  the  outside  re- 
moved that  wooden  peg." 

"  Well,  we  didn't  do  it,"  said  one  of  the  boys. 

"Can  they  be  anywhere  around?" 

Some  of  the  boys  began  a  search,  but  this  was  in 
vain — the  twins  had  disappeared. 


HASKERS  GETS  LEFT  IN  THE  COLD     135 

"  We  may  as  well  give  up  for  to-night,"  said  the 
president  at  last. 

"  I  move  we  adjourn  to  bed,"  said  Ben,  and  this 
was  put  and  carried,  and  without  delay  the  robes, 
headgears,  and  stuffed  clubs  and  swords  were  hid- 
den away,  and  the  students  hurried  to  Oak  Hall. 

Here  another  setback  awaited  them.  The  side 
door  was  locked,  and  the  false  key  they  had  put  on 
a  convenient  nail  was  missing. 

"  Somebody  is  playing  us  tricks,"  said  Dave.  "  I 
thought  so  before  and  now  I  am  certain  of  it.  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  that  somebody  had  gone  and 
told  Mike  Marcy  to  look  out  for  ghosts  at  the  end 
of  his  lot." 

"Who  would  doit?" 

"  Several  fellows — Link  Merwell,  Nat  Poole, 
and  their  cronies." 

"  Never  mind  that  crowd  now,"  said  Shadow. 
"  How  are  we  to  get  into  the  school  without  wak- 
ing anybody  up  ?  " 

11  Let  us  try  all  the  doors  and  lower  windows," 
suggested  the  shipowner's  son. 

This  was  done,  and  at  last  one  of  the  boys  found 
a  basement  window  unfastened.  He  notified  the 
others. 

"  I  know  where  that  leads  to,"  said  Dave. 
"  The  laundry." 

11  Yes,  I've  been  in  the  laundry,  too,"  added  the 
senator's  son. 


136    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

11  Then  one  of  you  see  if  you  can  get  upstairs 
through  the  laundry  and  let  us  in,"  said  Buster. 
"  And  please  don't  be  all  night  about  it  either, 
for  I  am  getting  cold." 

"  Don't  say  a  word,"  came  from  Messmer. 
"  My  ears  are  about  frozen  already." 

"  I'll  go,"  said  Dave. 

"  I'll  go  along,"  returned  Roger. 

Both  climbed  down  through  the  basement  win- 
dow, to  find  themselves  in  a  place  that  was  pitch- 
dark.  Here  Dave  struck  a  match  and  by  its  faint 
rays  led  the  way  to  an  open  cellar  and  then  to  a 
stairs  running  up  to  the  kitchen. 

Tiptoeing  their  way  up  the  stairs,  they  tried  the 
door  at  the  top,  and  to  their  joy  found  it  unlocked. 
They  stepped  into  the  kitchen,  and  just  then  the 
match  went  out,  leaving  them  again  in  the  dark. 

"  I  know  the  way  now,  so  there  is  no  need  to 
make  another  light,"  said  Roger. 

"  Wait, — better  have  a  light,"  answered  Dave. 
"  You  don't  want  to  stumble  over  anything  and 
make  a  noise."1 

He  found  a  candle  and  lit  it,  and  then  the  chums 
crept  silently  from  the  kitchen,  through  the  pantry 
and  dining  room  to  the  side  hall.  They  wanted  to 
stop  for  something  to  eat  from  the  pantry,  but  did 
not  wish  to  keep  their  friends  waiting  out  in  the 
cold. 

The  two  youths  were  just  on  the  point  of  turning 


HASKERS  GETS  LEFT  IN  THE  COLD     137 

a  corner  of  the  hall  when  a  sound  struck  their  ears. 
Somebody  was  close  at  hand,  snoring  lustily! 

"Who  can  it  be?"  asked  Roger,  in  a  faint 
whisper,  when  both  realized  what  the  sound  meant. 

"  I'll  soon  find  out,"  answered  Dave,  and  held 
up  the  candle. 

"  Don't  wake  him  up,  or  there'll  be  trouble  1  " 

Step  by  step  they  drew  closer  to  the  sleeping 
person.  It  was  a  man,  wearing  an  overcoat  and  a 
skullcap.  He  was  seated  in  a  comfortable  arm- 
chair taken  from  the  parlor. 

"Old  Haskers!"  cried  Dave. 

"  He  must  have  been  on  the  watch  for  us  and 
fallen  asleep,"  was  the  comment  of  the  senator's 
son. 

"  Don't  wake  him — let  him  sleep." 

"  To  be  sure,  Dave — I'd  like  to  chloroform 
him !  " 

The  boys  passed  the  snoring  teacher  and  reached 
a  side  door.  Unlocking  it,  they  slipped  without, 
and  closed  the  door  again.  Then  they  summoned 
the  members  of  the  Gee  Eyes  and  told  them  of 
what  they  had  discovered. 

"  You'll  have  to  go  in  as  quietly  as  mice,"  said 
Dave.  "  Otherwise  he'll  wake  up  and  catch  us, — 
and  then  the  fat  will  be  in  the  fire." 

"  Dave,  somebody  has  surely  been  spying  on  us," 
said  Phil. 

"  Exactly — but  we  can't  take  that  up  now.    In 


138    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

you  go,  and  take  off  your  shoes  before  you  start 
upstairs.      Maybe "     Dave  paused. 

"What,  Dave?" 

"  Maybe  we  can  play  a  joke  on  Haskers,  when 
we  are  about  safe." 

"How?"  asked  several. 

"  We  might  carry  him  out  on  the  piazza  and 
lock  the  door  on  him.  Under  that  overcoat  he  has 
on  only  his  night  clothes  and  a  pair  of  slippers." 

"  If  we  only  could  do  it!  "  murmured  Phil,  glee- 
fully. 

One  by  one  the  members  of  the  Gee  Eyes  entered 
the  school  building,  slipped  off  their  shoes,  and 
went  upstairs.  Then,  wrapping  their  coats  around 
their  heads,  Dave,  Roger,  Phil,  and  Shadow  came 
back  and  surrounded  Job  Haskers. 

"  Now  listen,"  said  Dave,  who  still  held  the 
candle.  "  If  he  wakes  up,  drop  him.  I'll  blow  out 
the  candle,  and  all  scoot  for  the  dormitories, — 
but  without  noise,  remember  that !  "  And  so  it  was 
agreed. 

As  carefully  as  possible  they  raised  up  the  sleep- 
ing man,  armchair  and  all,  and  carried  him  to  the 
side  door,  which  Dave  opened.  Then  they  took 
their  burden  outside  and  put  the  chair  down  in  the 
snow  at  the  foot  of  the  piazza  steps.  This  ac- 
complished, they  ran  back  into  the  school,  closed 
and  locked  the  door,  and  threw  the  key  in  a  dark 
corner. 


HASKERS  GETS  LEFT  IN  THE  COLD     139 

"Now  for  the  dormitory!"  cried  Dave,  and 
blew  out  the  light.  "  And  everybody  undress  in 
jig-time!  " 

All  understood,  and  the  way  they  flew  up  the 
stairs  was  a  wonder.  Like  lightning-change  actors 
they  threw  off  their  garments  and  got  into  their 
sleeping  clothes.  The  other  boys  were  already  dis- 
robed, and  some  were  at  the  windows,  looking 
down  through  shade  cracks,  to  see  what  might 
happen  below. 

They  had  not  long  to  wait.  Job  Haskers  speed- 
ily grew  cold  and  woke  up  with  a  start.  In  the 
darkness  he  stared  around  in  perplexity  and  then 
leaped  to  his  feet. 

"  Oh !  "  the  boys  heard  him  mutter,  as  some  of 
the  loose  snow  got  into  his  slippers.  "  What  can 
this  mean?    Where  am  I?  " 

He  took  several  steps,  and  more  snow  got  into 
his  slippers.  Then  he  slipped  on  a  patch  of  ice  and 
plunged  straight  into  the  snow  with  his  arms  and 
shoulders. 

11  Confound  the  luck!  "  the  boys  heard  him  say. 
11  Boys,  what  does  this  mean?  Who  put  me  here? 
Oh,  but  won't  I  make  you  suffer  for  this!  Oh, 
my  feet !  "  And  then  he  rushed  for  the  piazza 
steps.  Here  he  slipped  again,  and  the  students 
heard  him  yell  as  he  came  down  on  his  left  elbow. 
Then  he  disappeared  from  sight  under  the  roof  of 
the  piazza. 


140    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"He  won't  get  in  right  awayl"  whispered 
Roger.     "  Oh,  this  is  the  best  yet!  " 

They  heard  Job  Haskers  fumble  at  the  knob  of 
the  door.  He  tried  to  turn  it  several  times  and 
then  shook  it  violently.  Finding  the  door  would 
not  open,  he  began  to  pound  upon  the  barrier  with 
his  fist. 

"  He's  making  noise  enough  to  wake  the  dead !  " 
whispered  Phil. 

"  Somebody  is  going  below,"  said  Dave,  a  mo- 
ment later.  "  Now  I  guess  there  will  be  more 
fun!" 

"  If  only  we  aren't  caught!  "  murmured  Shadow, 
who  was  a  bit  afraid  that  the  fun  had  been  car- 
ried too  far. 


CHAPTER  XV 

WHAT  MIKE   MARCY   HAD  TO  TELL 

It  was  Murphy  the  monitor  who  let  the  assist- 
ant teacher  in.  Job  Haskers  entered  stamping  his 
feet  loudly,  for  they  were  decidedly  cold. 

"Why,  Mr.  Haskers,  what  does  this  mean?" 
asked  the  monitor,  in  amazement.  "  I  didn't  know 
you  were  out.     And  in  slippers,  too !  " 

"  I — er — I "   stammered  the  teacher,   and 

then  he  stopped,  for  he  did  not  know  how  to  pro- 
ceed. He  realized  that  he  occupied  a  very  ridicu- 
lous position. 

"Can  I  do  anything  for  you?"  went  on  the 
monitor. 

"  Murphy,  have  you  seen  any  boys  come  in  since 
lights  were  out?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"Nobody  at  all?" 

"  Not  a  soul." 

"  It  is  queer.     They  must  have  come  in,  and 

finding  me   asleep "      Job   Haskers   did  not 

finish. 

"Where  were  you  asleep,  sir?" 
141 


H2     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Never  mind — if  you  saw  nobody.  But  listen, 
I  want  you  to  make  the  rounds,  and  see  if  every 
boy  is  in  his  dormitory.  If  any  are  absent,  report 
to  me  in  my  room  at  once." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  returned  the  monitor,  and  hurried 
off. 

"  He'll  not  find  us  missing,"  whispered  Dave. 
"  All  hands  in  bed  and  eyes  shut.  No  fooling  now, 
for  if  you  are  caught  something  serious  may 
happen." 

The  others  understood,  and  when  Jim  Murphy 
came  with  a  light  to  look  into  dormitories  No.  1 1 
and  No.  12  he  found  every  lad  tucked  in  under 
the  blankets  and  looking  as  if  he  had  been  slumber- 
ing for  several  hours. 

"  That  was  what  I  call  a  narrow  escape,"  whis- 
pered Phil,  after  the  monitor  had  departed. 
"  Somebody  surely  spied  on  us." 

"  We'll  look  into  the  matter  to-morrow,"  an- 
swered Luke  Watson.  "  I'm  in  for  sleep  now." 
And  a  little  later  all  the  lads  were  in  the  land  of 
dreams. 

The  next  morning  the  members  of  the  Gee  Eyes 
looked  for  an  investigation  from  Job  Haskers,  but 
no  such  thing  occurred.  The  fact  of  the  matter 
was  that  the  teacher  realized  fully  what  a  joke 
had  been  played  on  him  while  he  was  asleep,  and  he 
was  afraid  to  stir  the  matter  up  for  fear  the  entire 
school  would  be  laughing  at  him.    He  made  a  few 


WHAT  MIKE  MARCY  HAD  TO  TELL    143 

very  cautious  inquiries,  which  gave  him  no 
clew,  and  then,  for  the  time  being,  dropped  the 
matter. 

The  Gee  Eyes  were  anxious  to  know  how  the 
Soden  brothers  had  gotten  out  of  the  closet  at  the 
old  boathouse,  and  were  amazed  when  the  answer 
came. 

"  Why,  two  of  you  fellows  came  back  and  let 
us  out,"  said  Henry  Soden. 

"  Let  you  out?  "  asked  Buster  Beggs. 

"  Yes." 

"  One  of  the  fellows  said  that  Mr.  Haskers  was 
onto  the  game  and  that  no  initiations  would  be  at- 
tempted," explained  Joe  Soden.  "  He  said  we  had 
better  get  back  to  our  dormitory  as  quickly  as  we 
could,  so  we  scooted." 

"  Who  were  those  chaps?  "  demanded  Dave. 

"  I  don't  know.  They  wore  their  coats  inside 
out  and  big  paper  bags  over  their  heads." 

"  They  were  no  members  of  the  Gee  Eyes,"  said 
Phil.  "  They  were  some  outsiders  who  wanted  to 
spoil  our  fun." 

"  Well,  I  must  confess  we  were  glad  enough  to 
get  out  of  the  closet, — it  was  so  cold,"  said  Henry 
Soden.  "  But  just  the  same  I  shouldn't  have  run 
away  if  I  had  known  the  truth.  Both  of  us  are 
anxious  to  join  your  club." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I  think,"  said  Dave.  "  It  was 
a  put-up  job  all  around.     Some  enemy  told  Mike 


144     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Marcy  about  ghosts,  sent  word  to  old  Haskers  to 
be  on  guard,  and  released  Joe  and  Henry." 

"  If  that  is  true,  we  want  to  find  out  who  that 
enemy  was,"  answered  Roger.  "  No  student  of 
Oak  Hall  can  play  such  a  trick  on  the  Gee  Eyes 
without  suffering  for  it." 

"  So  say  we  all  of  us!  "  sang  out  several. 

"  I  have  a  plan,"  went  on  Dave.  "  Let  us  lay 
for  that  hired  boy  of  Marcy's — the  lad  called 
Billy.  Maybe  he  can  tell  us  who  told  Marcy — 
if  anybody  did  tell  him."     And  so  it  was  arranged. 

The  opportunity  to  interview  the  farm  boy  Billy 
did  not  occur  until  about  a  week  later,  when  Dave 
and  Ben  Basswood  were  walking  to  Oakdale  to  buy 
some  film  rolls  for  their  cameras.  They  took  a  side 
road  leading  past  the  Marcy  farm,  and  caught 
sight  of  Billy  down  by  a  cowshed  and  beckoned 
to  him. 

"  Is  your  name  Billy?  "  asked  Dave,  kindly,  for 
he  could  easily  see  that  the  lad  was  somewhat 
simple-minded,  by  the  way  he  clasped  and  un- 
clasped his  hands,  twisted  his  shoulders,  and 
twitched  his  mouth. 

"  Yes,  Billy  Sankers,  from  Lundytown,"  was 
the  boy's  reply. 

"Do  you  work  for  Mr.  Marcy?" 

"Do  I?  Sure  I  do — an'  he  works  for  me," 
and  Billy  grinned  at  what  he  thought  was  a 
joke. 


WHAT  MIKE  MARCY  HAD  TO  TELL    145 

11  You  went  after  ghosts  the  other  night,  didn't 
you?  "  continued  Dave. 

"  Yes,  we  did,  an'  we  bagged  a  lot  of  'em,  too — 
shot  'em  full  of  holes  an'  they  disappeared  into 
the  sky,"  and  the  poor  deluded  boy  began  to  wave 
his  arms  as  if  flying. 

14  Who  told  Mr.  Marcy  that  the  ghosts  were 
coming?  "  asked  Ben. 

44  Two  boys  from  the  school  over  there,"  and 
now  Billy  jerked  his  thumb  in  the  direction  of  Oak 
Hall.  "  They  said  to  keep  still  about  it,  but  what's 
the  use?  The  ghosts  are  shot  full  of  holes,  shot 
full  of  holes,  holes,  holes !  " 

44  Did  you  know  the  boys?  "  asked  Dave. 

At  this  question  Billy  shook  his  head.  "  I  don't 
go  to  school  there — I  know  too  much.  Maybe 
some  day  I'll  go  over  and  teach  the  teachers.  One 
boy  called  the  other  Nat,"  he  added,  suddenly. 

44  Nat!  "  cried  Dave.  He  turned  to  his  chum. 
44  Can  it  have  been  Nat  Poole  ?  " 

44  That's  it,  Nat  Poole !  "  cried  Billy.  44  You're 
a  wise  owl  to  guess  it." 

"What  was  the  other  boy  called?"  continued 
Ben. 

44  Called?  Nothing.  Yes,  he  was,  too,  he  was 
called  Link.  That's  it,  Link,  Blink,  Hink !  Funny 
name,  eh?  " 

44  Link!  "  cried  Dave.  4<  Can  it  have  been  Link 
Merwell?  " 


146    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

11  More  than  likely,"  answered  his  chum.  "  Nat 
and  Link  travel  together,  and  both  are  down  on 
our  crowd." 

"  Did  they  tell  Mr.  Marcy  that  the  ghosts 
would  be  schoolboys?  "  asked  Dave. 

"  No,  ghosts,"  answered  Billy,  nodding  his  head 
gravely.  "  They  told  Mike  an'  he  told  me,  an' 
we  got  the  shotguns  to  scare  'em  off.  Mike  don't 
want  ghosts  around  this  place." 

"  Here  comes  Mike  Marcy  now,"  whispered 
Ben.     "  Had  we  better  get  out?  " 

"  I'll  not  run  for  him,"  was  Dave's  answer. 

"  Sure,  an'  what  do  you  fellers  want  here?  "  de- 
manded the  big,  brawny  Irish-American  farmer 
as  he  strode  up,  horsewhip  in  hand. 

"  Mr.  Marcy,  we  want  to  have  a  talk  with  you," 
said  Dave,  coldly.     "  I  guess  you  remember  me." 

"  I  do.  You're  the  lad  I  once  had  locked  up  in 
my  smokehouse,"  and  the  farmer  grinned  slightly. 

"  Yes.  But  I  am  not  here  about  that  now, — nor 
am  I  here  to  tell  you  that  I  was  one  of  the  boys  that 
found  your  mule  when  he  was  lost  and  sent  you 
word.  I  am  here  to  ask  you  about  the  shooting 
that  took  place  about  a  week  ago." 

"Shooting!" 

"  Exactly.  Who  were  the  boys  who  came  here 
and  told  you  to  go  to  the  end  of  your  farm  and 
shoot  at  a  lot  of  innocent  lads  having  a  little  fun 
by  themselves?  " 


WHAT  MIKE  MARCY  HAD  TO  TELL    147 

"  Why — er See     here,     what     do     you 

mean?  "  blustered  Mike  Marcy. 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  say,  Mr.  Marcy,  and  I 
want  you  to  answer  my  question." 

"  Eh !  Say,  do  you  see  this  whip  ?  "  stormed 
the  farmer.     "  I'll  let  ye  taste  it  in  a  minit !  " 

"  You'll  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  answered 
Dave,  coolly.  "  I  ask  you  a  question  and  you  must 
answer  it.  This  is  a  serious  business.  You  fired 
three  shots  at  a  crowd  of  innocent  schoolboys  who 
were  harming  nobody.     You  cannot  deny  it." 

"  They  were  on  my  land." 

u  Some  of  them  were  on  the  road,  and  they  were 
doing  absolutely  no  harm.  You  merely  fired  at 
them  out  of  pure  ugliness." 

"See  here,  do  ye  want  this?"  And  now  the 
horsewhip  was  raised. 

"  If  you  strike  either  of  us,  I  shall  at  once  have 
you  arrested.  How  many  students  do  you  suppose 
are  now  in  bed  under  the  doctor's  care  because  of 
the  shooting  you  did?" 

At  this  question  Mike  Marcy  turned  suddenly 
pale. 

"I — er — was  anybody  hurt?  I— er — I  fired 
into  the  air — just  to  scare  'em,"  he  faltered. 

"  I  ask  you  a  question  and  I  want  you  to  an- 
swer it,  and  you  had  better  do  it  unless  you  want 
to  get  into  more  trouble.  Who  told  you  to  go  out 
/  and  do  the  shooting  ?  " 


148     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  We  want  their  names  and  we  are  bound  to  have 
them,"  put  in  Ben,  following  up  Dave's  bold  man- 
ner, now  that  he  saw  the  farmer  was  growing 
uneasy. 

"  The  boys  were  named  Nat  Poole  and  Link 
Merwell.  But  they  wanted  their  names  kept 
secret." 

"What  did  they  tell  you?" 

"  They  said  a  lot  of  the  toughest  lads  in  the 
school  were  going  to  disguise  themselves  an'  come 
down  here  and  cut  up  like  Indians,  and  maybe 
rob  me  of  some  chickens,  an'  I  had  better  be  on  the 
watch  for  'em.  One  said  I  might  scare  'em  by 
saying  I  saw  ghosts,  and  I  said  that  was  a  good 
idee.  So  I  called  Billy  an'  told  him  about  the 
ghosts,  an'  we  got  the  shotguns.  But  as  true  as  I 
stand  here  I  shot  up  into  the  air.  I  didn't  want  to 
hit  anybody,  an'  if  any  lad  got  as  much  as  one  shot 
in  him  I'm  sorry." 

"  That  is  all  we  want  to  know,  Mr.  Marcy," 
returned  Dave.  "  We  thank  you  for  the  informa- 
tion," and  he  started  to  walk  away,  followed  by 
Ben. 

"  But  see  here — if  anybody  is  hurted "  cried 

Mike  Marcy.     "  Sure,  I  don't  want  trouble " 

"  We  won't  say  any  more  about  it — since 
you  didn't  mean  to  hit  anybody,"  answered 
Dave.  "  But  after  this  never  shoot  at  us 
again." 


WHAT  MIKE  MARCY  HAD  TO  TELL    149 

"  I  won't,  ye  can  be  certain  of  that,"  answered 
the  farmer,  with  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"  And  another  thing,  Mr.  Marcy,"  added  Ben. 
"  If  you  see  Nat  Poole  or  Link  Merwell  do  not 
tell  them  that  you  saw  us  or  told  us  the  truth." 

"  I'll  remember."  And  with  this  promise  from 
the  farmer  the  boys  took  their  departure.  But 
they  had  not  gone  a  hundred  feet  when  Mike 
Marcy  came  running  after  them. 

"  Tell  me,"  said  he;  "  was  anybody  really  hit?  " 

"  Nobody  was  seriously  hurt,"  answered  Dave. 
"  But  you  scared  some  of  the  boys  nearly  to  death, 
and  they  tumbled  all  over  the  rocks  and  bushes,  in 
trying  to  get  out  of  range  of  the  shots." 

"  I  see.  Well,  I  won't  do  any  more  shooting," 
answered  Mike  Marcy,  and  walked  back  to  his 
house,  looking  very  thoughtful. 

"  It  is  just  as  we  supposed,"  said  Dave,  when 
he  and  his  chum  were  alone.  "  Nat  Poole  and 
Link  Merwell  are  responsible  for  everything. 
They  got  Marcy  to  do  the  shooting,  released  the 
Soden  brothers,  and  somehow  put  Haskers  on 
guard." 

"  Well,  the  Gee  Eyes  will  have  to  square  ac- 
counts with  them,"  replied  Ben.  "  We'll  make  a 
report  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  club,  and  then  the 
club  can  take  what  action  it  likes  in  the  matter. 
For  my  part,  I  think  such  sneaks  ought  to  be 
drummed  out  of  the  school." 


150     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"And  I  agree  with  you,  Ben.  But  let  me  tell 
you  one  thing.  Link  Merwell  is  ten  times  worse 
than  Nat  Poole.  Nat  is  a  dude  and  a  fool  and 
easily  led  around  by  others,  but  Link  Merwell  is  a 
knave,  as  black-hearted  as  any  boy  I  can  name. 
Look  out  for  him,  or  when  you  least  expect  it  he 
will  play  you  foul." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

SOMETHING  ABOUT  LESSONS 

At  Oakdale  the  two  students  ran  into  Phil,  who 
had  come  to  town  earlier,  to  see  about  a  pair  of 
skating  shoes.  They  told  their  chum  of  what  they 
had  learned,  and  the  shipowner's  son  agreed  that 
the  Gee  Eyes  ought  in  some  way  to  punish  the 
offenders. 

"  I  just  met  two  friends,"  went  on  Phil.  "  I 
stopped  at  the  candy  store  for  some  chocolates  and 
ran  into  Mary  Feversham  and  Vera  Rockwell. 
Vera  wanted  to  know  how  you  were,  Dave,"  and 
Phil  grinned. 

"  I  trust  you  told  her  I  was  very  sick,  Phil,"  was 
Dave's  quick  reply. 

"  I  did — I  said  you  were  crying  your  eyes  out 
for  another  sight  of  her,"  and  then  Phil  dodged, 
to  escape  a  blow  Dave  playfully  aimed  at  his 
head. 

The  boys  procured  the  articles  for  which  they 
had  come,  and  then  took  a  stroll  through  the  town. 
At  one  store  an  auction  sale  was  in  progress  and 
here  they  met  the  two  girls  Phil  had  mentioned. 

151 


152     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Both  were  dressed  in  fur  coats,  with  dainty  fur  caps 
to  match,  and  both  looked  very  sweet. 

"  We  watched  them  selling  some  bric-a-brac," 
said  Mary.  "  It  was  real  fun.  A  beautiful  statue 
of  Apollo  went  for  two  dollars — just  think  of  it !  " 

"  Might  get  one  of  those  statues  to  replace  the 
broken  one,"  said  Ben  to  Dave. 

Oh,  did  somebody  break  a  statue?  "  cried  Vera. 

"  Yes, — and  there  was  quite  an  exciting  time 
doing  it,"  said  Phil.  "  Dave  was  the  hero  of  the 
occasion." 

u  Oh,  tell  me  about  it,  Mr.  Porter !  "  And  Vera 
bent  her  eyes  full  upon  Dave. 

"  Oh,  it  didn't  amount  to  much,"  answered 
Dave. 

"But  please  tell  me,  won't  you?"  pleaded 
Vera. 

Then  both  girls  teased  him,  until  at  last  he  re- 
lated some  of  the  particulars  of  the  encounter  with 
Job  Haskers.  Mary  and  Vera  were  deeply  inter- 
ested, Vera  especially. 

"  I  am  glad  you  did  not  give  in  to  him,"  said 
Vera.  "  I  like  a  boy  who  can  stand  up  for  his 
rights." 

"  You  can  trust  Dave  to  do  that,"  said  Ben. 
"  He  doesn't  take  water  for  anybody." 

"  Oh,  come  now,  Ben "  murmured  Dave. 

"  I  believe  Mr.  Basswood,"  said  Vera.  "  I  hope 
Mr.  Porter  always  does  stick  up  for  himself.     I 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  LESSONS         153 

never  liked  a  boy  or  a  man — or  a  girl  either — who 
was  cowardly." 

After  that  the  boys  and  girls  listened  to  the  auc- 
tioneer for  several  minutes.  Then  Phil  suggested 
soda  to  Mary  Feversham,  and  all  of  the  party 
walked  over  to  a  corner  drug  store,  where  hot 
chocolate  was  to  be  had,  and  there  Phil  and  Dave 
treated. 

The  crowd  was  in  the  act  of  drinking  the  bever- 
age, and  Dave  had  just  handed  Vera  her  glass, 
when,  glancing  toward  the  doorway,  he  saw  Link 
Merwell  and  a  strange  young  man  standing  there. 
Link  started  and  stared  rudely  at  the  girls. 
Then  he  whispered  something  to  his  companion, 
and  both  turned  from  the  drug  store  and  disap- 
peared up  the  street. 

11  Did  you  see  them?  "  whispered  Dave  to  Phil. 

"  I  saw  somebody  look  in  and  walk  away.  Who 
was  it?" 

"  Link  Merwell  and  a  stranger."         •   . 

"  Humph !  I  suppose  Merwell  didn't  want  to 
come  in  while  we  were  here,"  murmured  the  ship- 
owner's son.  And  there  the  subject  was  dropped. 
Little  did  Dave  dream  of  what  was  to  be  the  result 
of  Link  Merwell's  unexpected  appearance  while  he 
was  in  the  company  of  Vera  Rockwell. 

The  boys  did  not  have  much  time  to  spend  in 
town,  and  soon  they  bade  the  girls  good-by  and 
hurried  back  to  Oak  Hall.     It  was  plain  to  be 


154     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

seen  that  Phil  thought  the  trip  an  extra  pleasant 
one. 

"No  use  in  talking;  Mary  Feversham  is  all 
right,"  he  said  to  Dave,  enthusiastically.  "  Finest 
girl  I  ever  ran  across." 

"  Phil,  I'm  afraid  you're  smitten,"  answered 
Dave,  with  a  laugh.  "  You'll  be  dreaming  about 
her  next." 

"  Perhaps — I  don't  care  if  I  do,"  was  the  reply, 
which  showed  that  Phil  was  pretty  far  "  gone  "  in- 
deed. "  But  say,"  he  went  on,  suddenly.  "  Talk- 
ing about  dreaming,  I  want  to  tell  you  something. 
Do  you  remember  how  Shadow  Hamilton  used  to 
walk  in  his  sleep?" 

"  I  don't  think  anybody  is  liable  to  forget  it," 
answered  Dave,  thinking  of  Shadow's  theft,  during 
his  sleep-walking,  of  Doctor  Clay's  valuable  col- 
lection of  rare  postage  stamps  as  related  in  a  previ- 
ous volume  of  this  series. 

"  Shadow  is  at  it  again — although  not  so  bad  as 
before." 

"  How  do  you  know?  "  asked  Ben. 

"  Because  the  other  night  I  woke  up  and  heard 
him  getting  something  out  of  his  trunk.  He  was 
at  the  trunk  about  ten  minutes  and  then  went  to 
bed  again.  In  the  morning  I  asked  him  about  it 
and  he  declared  positively  that  he  hadn't  gotten  up 
at  all.  He  was  much  disturbed  over  what  I  told 
him." 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  LESSONS         155 

"  Maybe  you  were  only  dreaming,"  suggested 
Dave. 

"  No,  I  wasn't — I  was  as  wide  awake  as  I  am 
now." 

"  It  would  be  too  bad  if  Shadow  got  to  sleep- 
walking again,"  said  Dave.  "  We'll  have  to  watch 
him  a  little.  We  don't  want  him  to  get  into 
trouble." 

During  the  next  two  weeks  Dave  found  but  little 
time  for  recreation.  A  test  in  two  studies  was  in 
progress,  and  he  made  up  his  mind  to  pass  with 
flying  colors.  He  went  in  for  a  regular  "  grind," 
as  Roger  expressed  it,  and  was  at  his  books  fully 
as  much  as  was  Polly  Vane;  indeed,  the  two  often 
studied  together. 

11  Come  on  out  for  a  skate — it  may  be  the  last  of 
the  season,"  said  the  senator's  son,  one  afternoon, 
but  Dave  shook  his  head. 

"  Can't  do  it,  Roger — I've  got  my  Latin  to  do, 
and  four  of  those  problems  in  geometry, — and 
some  German." 

"  Oh,  bother  the  lessons !  Can't  you  let  the 
geometry  and  the  German  slide  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I've  made  up  my  mind  to  get  not  less  than 
ninety  per  cent,  in  the  test  this  week." 

"Then  you  won't  really  come?"  Roger  lin- 
gered in  the  doorway  as  he  spoke. 

"  Not  to-day.    Have  you  got  that  geometry?  " 

"  No — I  thought  I  might  do  it  this  evening." 


156     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  What  about  the  German?  " 

"  Oh,  perhaps  I'll  do  that,  too.  I  don't  care 
much  for  the  German,  anyway." 

"  But  you  ought  to  study  your  lesson,  now  you 
have  taken  it  up,  Roger." 

There  was  a  minute  of  silence,  and  Dave  turned 
to  his  text-books  and  papers  and  began  to  write. 
Roger  drummed  on  the  door  and  heaved  a  deep 
sigh.  The  ice  on  the  river  was  growing  soft — in 
a  few  days  skating  might  be  a  thing  of  the  past. 

"  It  seems  to  me  you  don't  care  for  skating  as 
much  as  you  did,  Dave,"  he  said,  presently. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do,  Roger ;  but  I'm  not  going  to  think 
about  it  while  I  have  studying  to  do.  I  can't  for- 
get that,  after  all  is  said  and  done,  I  am  here  to  get 
a  good  education,  and  that  both  my  father  and  Mr. 
Wadsworth  expect  me  to  make  the  most  of  my  op- 
portunities." 

Dave  returned  again  to  his  books  and  papers  and 
another  silence  followed.  Then  the  senator's  son 
came  in,  hung  up  his  skates  in  the  closet,  and  got 
out  his  own  schoolbooks  and  papers. 

"  Well,  if  we've  got  to  grind,  I  suppose  it  is  up 
to  me  to  do  my  share,"  he  remarked,  with  another 
sigh.     "  But  that  ice " 

"  Don't  do  it  on  my  account,  Roger." 

"  Yes,  but,  Dave,  I  can't  stand  it  to  see  you  grind- 
ing alone — when  I  know  I  ought  to  grind  too. 
My  father  wants  me  to  get  a  good  education,  too. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  LESSONS         157 

So  here  goes,"  and  then  Roger  began  to  study  just 
as  hard  as  Dave  and  Polly.  Then  Phil  came  in, 
and  Shadow,  and  seeing  the  condition  of  affairs, 
went  at  it  like  the  rest.  Dave's  example  certainly 
carried  a  wonderful  influence  with  it,  even  though 
the  youth  himself  did  not  fully  realize  it. 

"  This  fifth  problem  in  geometry  is  a  corker,"  ob- 
served Shadow,  presently.  "  If  the  gable  of  a  house 
is  fourteen  feet  long  on  one  side,  and  the  angle  at 
the  top  is  one  of  forty  degrees,  and  the  other  side 
is  but  eleven  feet  long,  how " 

"  Don't  say  a  word,  I've  been  working  on  that 
for  half  an  hour,"  said  Phil.  "  Tried  it  this  noon, 
after  dinner,  and  couldn't  get  it." 

"  It's  very  easy,"  answered  Polly. 

"Have  you  got  it,  Dave?"  asked  Roger. 

"  Yes,  but  I  didn't  find  it  so  easy." 

"  Guess  I'll  climb  up  some  gable  and  measure  it," 
said  Shadow.  He  began  suddenly  to  grin.  "  That 
puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story.  Once  a  college  pro- 
fessor  " 

"  Don't!  "  begged  Polly.  "  I  have  some  figures 
in  my  head  I  don't  wish  to  lose !  " 

"  Then  nail  'em  down,"  answered  the  story-teller 
of  the  school,  calmly.  "  This  college  professor  was 
paying  a  visit  to  some  lumbermen  and  he  was  try- 
ing to  convince  one  old  tree-chopper  of  the  value  of 
an  education.  Says  he,  '  Now,  look  at  it.  You 
don't  know  how  to  measure  a  plank  accurately.' 


158    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

'  Don't  I,  though? '  says  the  lumberman.  '  No,  you 
don't,  and  I  can  prove  it,'  says  the  professor. 
'  Now,  supposing  you  had  a  plank  twenty  feet  long 
and  one  foot  wide  at  one  end  and  running  up  evenly 
to  two  feet  wide  at  the  other  end.  Where  would 
you  saw  that  plank  crosswise  so  that  one  end  would 
contain  as  much  wood  as  the  other?  You  can't  do 
that  problem  and  I  know  it,  because  you  never 
studied  higher  mathematics.'  '  That's  dead  easy,' 
says  the  old  lumberman.  '  I  don't  even  need  a 
pencil  to  figger  it  out,'  says  he.  '  Jest  balance  thet 
plank  on  a  bit  of  stick,  an'  cut  her  where  she  bal- 
ances!' And  then  the  college  professor  didn't 
have  anything  more  to  say,  for  he  made  out  the 
lumberman  was  a  hopeless  case."  And  at  this  tale 
all  the  boys  present  snickered. 

"  Shadow  would  have  a  job  climbing  up  on  a 
gable  to  measure  it,"  said  Phil.  "  I'd  rather  do 
it  on  paper."  Then  Polly  Vane  and  Dave  gave 
Shadow  some  points  as  to  how  the  problem  should 
be  worked  out. 

In  some  way  Link  Merwell  and  Nat  Poole  got 
an  inkling  of  the  fact  that  it  was  known  they  had 
done  all  in  their  power  to  break  up  the  initiation 
ceremonies  of  the  Gee  Eyes,  and,  not  to  be  cor- 
nered, both  of  the  boys  did  all  they  could  to  keep 
out  of  the  reach  of  their  fellow-students.  But  the 
Gee  Eyes  did  not  forget,  and  at  a  special  meeting  of 
the  club  it  was  voted  to  give  both  Poole  and  Mer- 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  LESSONS         159 

well  "the  cold  shoulder"  until  something  more 
definite  could  be  done.  By  "  the  cold  shoulder  " 
was  meant  that  no  member  of  the  club  was  to  asso- 
ciate with  Poole  or  Merwell  or  speak  to  them  un- 
less required  to  do  so  during  school  sessions.  Out- 
side of  the  schoolrooms  they  were  to  be  as  utterly 
ignored  as  though  they  did  not  exist. 

"  I  think  that  will  bring  Nat  Poole  to  terms, 
without  going  further,"  said  Roger.  "  He  hates 
to  be  left  to  himself — I've  noticed  that  many 
times." 

"  Well,  it  may  have  that  effect  on  Nat,"  an- 
swered Dave.  "  But  I  think  it  will  only  make 
Merwell  more  savage,"  and  in  this  surmise  he  was 
correct. 

The  tests  proved  a  severe  strain  on  many  of  the 
boys,  and  Dave  was  glad  when  they  were  over. 
What  the  standing  of  each  student  was  would  not 
be  known  until  later. 

11  Now  I'd  like  to  go  skating,"  said  he  to  Roger, 
but  this  could  not  be,  for  warm  weather  had  set  in 
and  the  ice  and  snow  were  rapidly  passing  away. 
That  night  it  rained,  and  this  made  everything  out- 
side very  sloppy. 

Dave  went  to  bed  early,  for  he  was  tired  out. 
He  slept  soundly  for  several  hours  and  then  awoke 
with  a  start,  for  something  had  brushed  his  face. 
He  sat  up,  and  was  just  in  time  to  see  a  form  glid- 
ing from  the  dormitory. 


160    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Hello !  what  can  that  mean?  "  he  murmured  to 
himself,  and  then  he  sprang  up.  "  Guess  I'll  in- 
vestigate." And  then,  putting  on  a  pair  of  slip- 
pers and  donning  a  long  overcoat  that  was  handy, 
he  made  after  the  person  who  had  just  disappeared 


CHAPTER  XVII 

shadow  Hamilton's  peril 

When  Dave  reached  the  hallway  he  saw,  by  a 
dim  light  that  was  burning,  a  form  at  the  lower 
end,  moving  toward  a  back  stairs.  An  instant  later 
the  form  glided  up  the  stairs  toward  the  third  floor 
of  the  school  building.  The  form  was  in  white, 
and  Dave  knew  it  must  be  one  of  the  students  in  his 
nightdress. 

11  Something  is  going  on,"  he  thought.  "  Won- 
der if  that  is  Phil  or  Roger?  " 

Curious  to  learn  what  the  midnight  prowler  was 
up  to,  Dave  followed  the  unknown  to  the  third 
story  of  the  building.  He  saw  the  fellow  walk  to  a 
side  hall.  Here  it  was  almost  dark,  for  the  serv- 
ants' rooms  were  in  that  part  of  the  building.  He 
stopped  and  listened  and  heard  an  odd  creaking 
and  a  scraping  sound.  Then  he  went  forward  once 
more. 

Turning  into  the  side  hall,  a  gust  of  cold  wind 
struck  him.  He  knew  it  came  from  overhead,  and 
then  he  remembered  that  at  the  end  of  the  side  hall 
was  a  ladder  leading  to  a  scuttle  of  the  roof.    The 

161 


162    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

scuttle  had  been  thrown  open,  and  wind  and  rain 
were  coming  down  through  the  opening. 

Dave's  curiosity  was  now  excited  to  the  top  pitch. 
He  felt  sure  that  the  servants  had  not  left  the 
scuttle  open  on  retiring  or  that  it  had  been  blown 
open  by  the  wind.  Consequently,  the  midnight 
prowler  must  have  opened  it,  and  if  so,  for  what 
purpose  excepting  to  get  out  on  the  wet  and  slip- 
pery roof? 

Suddenly  an  idea  flashed  into  Dave's  mind,  and 
without  further  ado  he  ran  to  the  ladder  and 
mounted  it  with  all  speed.  At  the  top  he  thrust 
his  head  through  the  scuttle  opening  and  looked 
around  that  portion  of  the  school  roof  which  was 
visible  from  that  point. 

He  had  expected  to  see  a  certain  person,  but  he 
was  disappointed.  Yet  this  did  not  make  him  hesi- 
tate regarding  his  course  of  action.  He  crawled 
out  on  the  roof,  slippery  and  treacherous  with  slush, 
and  made  his  way  cautiously  but  rapidly  to  where 
there  were  an  angle  and  a  high  gable,  with  a  wide 
chimney  between. 

As  he  gained  the  side  of  the  chimney  and  stood 
there  in  the  rain,  slush,  and  wind,  he  saw  a  sight 
that  both  thrilled  and  chilled  him.  The  mysterious 
student  in  white  was  crawling  up  the  gable  and 
was  already  close  to  the  ridge ! 

"  Shadow  Hamilton !  "  murmured  Dave.  "  He 
is  sleep-walking  again  I  " 


SHADOW  HAMILTON'S  PERIL  163 

Dave  was  right — it  was  indeed  poor  Shadow, 
and  as  fast  asleep  as  a  sleep-walker  can  get.  The 
lad  had  a  tape  measure  in  one  hand  and  was  mut- 
tering to  himself : 

"  If  the  gable  of  a  house  is  fourteen  feet  long  on 

one  side,  and  the  angle  at  the  top "    And  then 

the  rest  was  lost  in  the  wind. 

"  He's  dreaming  of  that  problem  in  geometry," 
said  Dave  to  himself.    "  It's  got  on  his  nerves." 

He  wondered  what  he  could  do  to  aid  the  sleep- 
walker. He  was  afraid  to  call  to  Shadow,  for 
fear  the  boy  might  awaken  suddenly  and  tumble 
off  the  roof.  Shadow  was  now  on  the  ridge,  and, 
to  Dave's  added  horror,  he  stood  upright,  the  tape 
measure  in  his  hands.  Then  he  began  to  walk  to 
the  very  end  of  the  ridgepole. 

"  If  he  falls  into  the  yard  he'll  break  his  neck 
sure ! " 

Such  was  Dave's  agonizing  thought,  and  despite 
the  cold,  the  heavy  perspiration  stood  out  on  his 
forehead. 

"Dave!" 

It  was  a  voice  from  the  scuttle  opening  and  came 
so  unexpectedly  it  made  the  youth  start.  Turning 
back,  he  made  out  Phil  in  the  dim  light. 

"Phil!"  he  whispered. 

"What  are  you  doing  up  there,  Dave?" 

"  I  followed  Shadow  Hamilton." 

"Shadow?" 


164     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Yes.  He  is  sleep-walking  again  and  has 
climbed  to  the  ridge  of  the  gable  roof.  I  don't 
dare  to  awaken  him  for  fear  of  an  accident." 

"  I  saw  you  go  out  and  I  was  wondering  what 
was  up.  Then  I  missed  Shadow  and  came  after 
you.  It's  too  bad,  Dave !  But  I  imagine  the  very 
best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  let  him  alone  until  he 
comes  back." 

"  I  don't  like  to  take  the  responsibility,  Phil. 
If  anything  should  happen  I'd  never  forgive  my- 
self.   I'll  tell  you  what  I  wish  you'd  do." 

"What?" 

11  Run  and  call  Mr.  Dale.  He  knows  something 
about  these  cases.  He  once  told  me  he  had  a 
brother  who  walked  in  his  sleep  and  did  all  sorts  of 
strange  things." 

"  All  right,  I'll  call  him,"  answered  the  ship- 
owner's son,  and  disappeared  down  the  scuttle 
ladder. 

Going  back  to  the  chimney,  Dave  now  saw  that 
Shadow  had  reached  the  end  of  the  ridgepole  and 
was  kneeling  down  upon  it.  Holding  out  the  tape 
measure  he  proceeded  to  make  several  imaginary 
measurements,  all  the  while  muttering  to  himself. 
The  sight  almost  caused  Dave's  heart  to  stop  beat- 
ing, for  the  slightest  miscalculation  on  the  sleep- 
walker's part  would  have  caused  a  serious  if  not 
fatal  accident. 

After  what  seemed  a  long  time  Dave  heard  Phil 


SHADOW  HAMILTON'S  PERIL         165 

coming  back.  He  was  accompanied  by  Andrew 
Dale,  the  head  teacher,  who  had  stopped  just  long 
enough  to  get  on  some  of  his  clothing. 

"Where  is  he?"  whispered  Mr.  Dale,  as  he 
came  out  in  the  wind  and  rain. 

"There,"  answered  Dave,  and  pointed  out  the 
form  of  the  sleep-walker. 

"  Have  you  tried  to  speak  to  him  ?  " 

"  No,  I  was  afraid." 

"  Then,  don't  say  a  word  till  he  comes  down  to 
a  safer  place." 

After  that  the  three  watched  Shadow  Hamilton 
for  several  minutes  while  he  continued  his  calcula- 
tion and  used  the  tape  measure.  Then  they  saw 
the  sleep-walker  wind  up  the  measure. 

"  He  is  coming  down !  "  whispered  Phil,  and  he 
was  right.  Slowly  Shadow  climbed  down  from  the 
gable  roof  and  made  his  way  toward  the  scuttle. 
He  had  taken  but  a  few  steps  when  suddenly  he 
slipped  and  fell. 

"  Oh  I  "  he  cried,  and  looked  around  in  bewilder- 
ment.    "  Where " 

"  Shadow !  "  cried  Dave,  and  caught  him  by  the 
arm.     "  You  are  all  right,  so  don't  worry." 

"  But  where  am  I  ?  "  insisted  the  sleep-walker. 

"  On  the  roof." 

"  You  have  been  walking  in  your  sleep,  Hamil- 
ton," explained  Mr.  Dale.  "  Come,  let  me  help 
you  down  the  ladder.     You  are  soaked  through, 


166    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

and  if  you  don't  get  into  a  warm  bed  very  quickly 
you  may  catch  your  death  of  cold." 

Completely  bewildered,  Shadow  allowed  himself 
to  be  taken  to  the  ladder  and  aided  to  descend. 
Then  the  scuttle  was  closed  and  hooked. 

"  I  do  not  think  it  best  for  you  to  go  back  to  the 
dormitory,"  said  the  head  teacher.  "  I'll  put  you 
in  a  warm  room  by  yourself.  But  perhaps  it  would 
be  as  well  for  somebody  to  stay  with  you  for  the 
rest  of  the  night,"  and  Andrew  Dale  looked  ques- 
tioningly  at  Dave  and  Phil. 

"  I'll  stay,"  said  Dave,  quickly. 

"  Very  well.  To-morrow  we'll  talk  this  over 
and  see  what  is  best  to  do.  There  is  no  use  in  try- 
ing to  do  so  now,  when  we  are  all  cold,  wet,  and 
tired." 

The  head  teacher  led  the  way  to  a  private  bed- 
room that  was  well  heated  and  had  Dave  go  back 
to  the  dormitory  for  some  extra  clothing.  Then 
he  left  Dave  and  Shadow  to  themselves. 

"  This  breaks  me  all  up,"  said  Shadow,  moodily. 
"  I  thought  I  was  all  over  those  tricks." 

"  It  was  the  hard  study  did  it,  and  the  tests,"  an- 
swered Dave.  "  You  had  that  geometrical  prob- 
lem in  your  mind  and  couldn't  get  rid  of  it.  Maybe 
you'll  never  walk  in  your  sleep  again." 

"  I  sincerely  trust  not,  Dave.  It  was  good  of  you 
and  the  others  to  help  me,"  and  Shadow  gave  his 
chum  a  grateful  look. 


SHADOW  HAMILTON'S  PERIL  167 

"  We  did  very  little,  Shadow — indeed,  I  didn't 
know  what  to  do.  But  when  I  saw  you  on  the  very 
end  of  the  ridge  I  can  tell  you  my  heart  was  in  my 
throat." 

Before  going  to  bed  both  boys  indulged  in  a  good 
rubbing  down  and  consequently  the  exposure  to 
the  elements  did  them  no  harm.  In  the  morning 
Shadow  was  excused  from  attending  school  and 
Horsehair  was  sent  to  town  to  get  some  of  the 
medicine  which  the  sleep-walker  had  taken  in  the 
past,  after  the  exposure  of  his  former  exploits 
during  the  night. 

With  the  coming  of  spring  the  boys  had  a  vaca- 
tion of  several  days.  A  few  of  the  students  went 
home,  but  the  majority  remained  at  Oak  Hall,  and, 
to  pass  away  the  time,  indulged  in  all  sorts  of 
sports  and  pastimes,  including  a  funny  initiation  of 
the  Soden  brothers. 

At  New  Year  a  new  gymnasium  teacher  had  been 
engaged, — a  fine  man,  who  was  an  expert  gymnast 
and  also  a  good  boxer  and  fencer.  Since  coming 
back  to  the  Hall,  Dave  had  become  interested  in 
both  boxing  and  fencing,  and  spent  some  time 
under  the  new  instructor. 

"  I  believe  a  chap  ought  to  know  how  to  defend 
himself,"  he  said  to  Roger.  "  In  knocking  around 
one  doesn't  know  what  kind  of  a  hole  he  may  be 
placed  in, — and  you  can  never  know  too  much." 

"  Well,  I  like  boxing  and  fencing  myself,"  an- 


1 68    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

swered  the  senator's  son,  and  after  that  he  and 
Dave  had  many  a  time  together,  with  the  foils  and 
gloves. 

Link  Merwell  did  not  care  much  for  fencing,  but 
he  took  readily  to  boxing,  and  he  caused  Nat  Poole 
to  take  up  the  sport.  As  the  pair  were  still  totally 
ignored  by  the  Gee  Eyes  they  had  to  box  against 
one  another  or  with  some  of  the  younger  lads. 

"  Those  fellows  are  afraid  to  box  with  me," 
said  Link  Merwell,  on  several  occasions.  "  They 
know  that  I  can  do  every  one  of  them  up  in  short 
order."  He  referred  to  Dave  and  his  chums,  and 
made  the  assertion  in  the  presence  of  a  large 
crowd  of  students. 

At  first  none  of  the  Gee  Eyes  paid  any  attention 
to  the  bully,  but  gradually  the  boasting  nettled 
them,  and  some  of  them  talked  it  over.  Then 
came  a  report  from  little  Frank  Bond  to  the  effect 
that  Link  Merwell  was  saying  he  had  asked  Dave 
to  box  him  and  the  latter  had  declined  because  he 
was  afraid. 

"  Dave,  if  I  were  you,  I  wouldn't  stand  for 
that,"  said  Buster  Beggs. 

"  What  am  I  to  do?  "  asked  Dave.  "  The  Gee 
Eyes  voted  to  leave  Merwell  and  Poole  severely 
alone,  and  I've  got  to  stick  by  my  word." 

"  Well,  I  guess  they'll  vote  for  the  boxing  con- 
test— if  you  want  to  stand  up  before  him." 

"  I  certainly  am  not  afraid  to  do  so." 


SHADOW-HAMILTON'S  PERIL         169 

As  a  consequence  of  this  talk,  Buster  spoke  to 
Luke  Watson,  and  there  was  a  hasty  meeting  of 
the  Gee  Eyes  and  it  was  voted  that  Dave  should 
box  Merwell  if  he  so  desired. 

Not  knowing  of  this  meeting  and  of  its  result, 
Link  Merwell  strode  into  the  gymnasium  the  next 
afternoon,  in  company  with  Nat  Poole,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  put  on  a  pair  of  boxing  gloves. 

"  Too  bad,  Nat,  but  I  can't  wake  any  of  those 
fellows  up,"  he  said,  loudly.  "  Every  one  of  'em 
is  afraid  to  face  me." 

"  How  about  Dave  Porter?  "  asked  Nat  Poole, 
in  an  equally  loud  tone. 

"  Worst  of  the  bunch.  I  guess  he's  afraid  I'll 
knock  the  head  off  of  him." 

These  words  were  spoken  so  that  Dave  might 
hear  them.  There  were  a  few  seconds  of  silence, 
and  then  Dave  walked  up  to  Merwell. 

"  So  you  think  I  am  afraid  to'  box  you,  Mer- 
well? "  he  said,  quietly. 

"  Oh,  so  you've  woke  up,  eh?  "  sneered  the  bully. 
"  Thought  you  and  your  crowd  had  gone  to 
sleep." 

11 1  want  to  know  if  you  think  I  am  afraid  to 
box  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course  you  are  afraid." 

"  You  are  mistaken — and  I'll  prove  it  to  you  in 
very  short  order.  How  soon  do  you  want  to 
box?" 


170    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

At  this  Link  Merwell  was  taken  by  surprise,  and 
his  face  showed  it.  But  he  was  "  game,"  and 
drew  himself  up. 

"  Any  time  you  want  me  to  box  you  I'll  be 
ready." 

11  Then  we'll  box  right  now,"  answered  Dave. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE   BOXING  BOUT 

"  A  boxing  match !  " 

"  I  think  Dave  Porter  will  win." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that.  Link  Merwell  has 
been  doing  a  great  deal  of  boxing  lately  and  has  it 
down  pretty  fine." 

"  That  may  be,  but  Dave  is  as  quick  as  they  make 
them." 

So  the  talk  ran  on,  as  the  boys  in  the  gymnasium 
gathered  around  the  would-be  contestants.  They 
felt  that,  no  matter  who  won,  they  were  going  to 
see  something  worth  while.  Many  secretly  hoped 
that  the  boxing  match  would  degenerate  into  a 
regular  fight,  for  they  knew  that  Dave  and  Mer- 
well were  bitter  enemies,  and  the  majority  wanted 
to  see  the  big  bully  soundly  whipped. 

11  We'll  have  to  have  a  referee  and  a 
timekeeper,"  said  Dave.  "  Who  shall  they 
be?" 

"A  referee  and  a  timekeeper?"  repeated  Link 
Merwell.  "  Why  don't  you  start  her  up  and  have 
done  with  it?  " 

171 


172     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  This  is  to  be  no  prize  fight,  Merwell.  I  shall 
box  you  for  points  only." 

"  Oh !  "  The  bully  put  as  much  of  a  sneer  into 
the  exclamation  as  possible.  "  Afraid  to  finish  it 
up,  eh?" 

"  Perhaps  you'll  get  all  you  want  before  we 
stop,"  answered  Dave,  calmly. 

"  What  kind  of  gloves  do  you  want  ?  The  thick- 
est in  the  place,  I  suppose." 

"  No,  a  medium  glove  will  do  for  me.  Mr. 
Dodsworth  recommends  the  number  five." 

"  Humph !  I'm  willing  to  box  with  a  number 
one  if  you  wish  !  " 

"  We  might  as  well  box  without  gloves  as  with 
number  ones.  This  is  to  be  no  slugging  match,  as 
I  intimated  before.  If  you  are  afraid  to  box  for 
points  say  so." 

"  Oh,  I'll  box  you  any  way  you  please.  Who 
do  you  want  for  timekeeper  and  referee?  " 

"  Any  boy  with  a  good  watch  can  keep  time*  I 
think  Mr.  Dodsworth  ought  to  be  the  referee." 

"  Nat  Poole  can  judge  it  all  right,"  grow^d 
Merwell. 

"  He's  not  acceptable  to  me,"  answered  Dave, 
promptly. 

"  The  gym.  teacher  is  all  right,"  said  Roger. 
"  He'll  know  just  what  every  move  counts." 

Link  Merwell  wished  to  argue,  but  Dave  would 
not  listen,  and  in  the  end  the  services  of  the  new 


THE  BOXING  BOUT  173 

gymnasium  teacher  were  called  in.  Mr.  Dods- 
worth  smiled  when  told  of  what  was  on  foot. 

"  Very  well,  I'll  be  referee,"  he  said.  "  Now, 
let  me  warn  you  against  all  foul  moves.  You  both 
know  the  rules.  Let  this  be  a  purely  scientific 
struggle  for  points.  Length  of  each  round  two 
minutes,  with  two  minutes  intermission.  How 
many  rounds  do  you  want  to  have?  " 

"  To  a  finish,"  said  Link  Merwell,  and  he  glared 
wickedly  at  Dave. 

"  No,  I'll  not  allow  that,  for  it  is  too  exhaust- 
ing. Let  us  say  ten  rounds.  That  will  give  you 
twenty  minutes  of  hot  work.  Here,  I  will  give  my 
watch  to  Lambertson  and  he  can  keep  \he  time." 
And  he  passed  the  watch  over  to  the  student  men- 
tioned. 

The  way  matters  had  been  arranged  did  not  suit 
Link  Merwell  at  all,  yet  he  felt  forced  to  submit  or 
acknowledge  that  he  was  afraid  of  Dave.  He  had 
wished  for  a  free-and-easy  match  and  had  hoped, 
on  the  sly,  to  get  in  a  foul  blow  or  two  which  might 
knock  Dave  out.  Now,  under  the  keen  eyes  of  the 
gymnasium  instructor,  he  knew  he  would  have  to  be 
careful  of  his  every  movement. 

The  preliminaries  arranged,  the  two  boxers 
faced  each  other,  while  the  students  gathered 
thickly  in  a  large  circle  around  them.  The  circle 
was  protected  by  benches,  giving  to  the  scene  some- 
thing of  the  air  of  a  professional  boxing  ring. 


174     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Ready !  "  called  out  Mr.  Dodsworth.  "  Go  1 " 
he  cried. 

But  there  was  very  little  "  go "  at  the  start. 
Both  boxers  were  on  the  alert  and  they  circled 
around  slowly,  looking  for  an  opening.  Then 
Merwell  made  a  pass,  which  Dave  warded  off 
easily.  Then  Dave  landed  on  his  opponent's 
breast,  Merwell  came  back  with  a  blow  in  the 
shoulder,  and  Dave,  ducking,  sent  in  two  in  quick 
succession  on  the  bully's  neck  and  ear.  Then  time 
was  called. 

"How  does  that  stand?"  asked  some  of  the 
boys. 

11  I'll  tell  you  later,"  said  Mr.  Dodsworth,  as 
he  penciled  something  on  a  bit  of  paper. 

11  Oh,  tell  us  now !  "  they  pleaded. 

But  the  instructor  was  obdurate.  And  while  the 
lads  were  pleading  round  two  was  called. 

The  contestants  were  now  warming  up,  and 
blows  were  given  and  taken  freely.  Link  Merwell 
was  forced  back  twice,  and  was  glad  when  time 
was  called  by  Lambertson. 

"  Don't  get  too  anxious,"  said  the  instructor, 
during  the  recess.  "  Remember,  this  is  for 
points." 

Again  the  two  boys  went  at  it,  and  the  third, 
fourth,  and  fifth  rounds  were  mixed  up  freely. 
All  present  had  to  acknowledge  that  Link  Mer- 
well boxed  quite  well,  but  they  saw  that  the  points 


THE  BOXING  BOUT  175 

were  in  Dave's  favor.  Dave  had  perfect  control 
of  himself,  while  the  bully  was  getting  excited. 

11  I'll  show  you  something  now !  "  cried  Merwell 
as  they  came  up  for  round  six.  He  flew  at  Dave 
like  a  wild  animal.  But  Dave  was  on  the  alert  and 
dodged  and  ducked  in  a  manner  that  brought 
constant  applause.  Then,  almost  before  anybody 
knew  it,  he  landed  on  the  bully's  jaw,  his  cheek, 
and  then  his  nose. 

"Omy!    Look  at  that!" 

"Say,  that  was  swift,  wasn't  it?" 

The  three  blows  had  thrown  Merwell  off  his 
balance,  and  he  recovered  with  difficulty. 

"  He — he  fouled  me !  "  he  panted. 

"No  foul!"  answered  the  gymnasium  in- 
structor, and  just  then  time  was  called. 

"  Maybe  Merwell  would  like  to  call  it  off,"  sug- 
gested Dave. 

"  Not  much !  I'll  show  you  yet !  "  roared  the 
bully.    "  I'll  have  you  to  know " 

"  Merwell,  you'll  do  better  if  you'll  keep  your 
excitement  down,"  advised  the  instructor.  "  '  Keep 
cool,'  is  an  excellent  motto." 

"  Dave,  you're  doing  well,"  whispered  Roger. 
"  Keep  it  up  and  Merwell  won't  know  where  he 
is  at  by  the  end  of  the  tenth  round." 

"  I  intend  to  keep  it  up,"  was  the  answer.  "  I 
started  out  to  teach  that  bully  a  lesson  and  I'll  do 
it — if  it  is  in  me." 


176    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

And  it  was  in  Dave — as  the  seventh  and  eighth 
rounds  showed.  In  the  latter  round  he  practically 
had  the  bully  at  his  mercy,  and  boxed  him  all 
around  the  ring.  The  calling  of  time  found  Mer- 
well  panting  for  breath  and  so  confused  he  could 
hardly  see. 

"  I  think  you  had  better  give  it  up,"  said  the 
gymnasium  instructor.  "  Merwell,  you  have  had 
enough." 

"  Say,  are  you  going  to  give  this  boxing  match 
to  Porter?  "  roared  the  bully. 

"  Yes,  for  he  has  won  it  fairly.  He  already 
has  twenty-six  points  to  your  seven." 

"  It  ain't  fair !    I  can  lick  him  any  day !  " 

"  It  is  not  a  question  of  '  licking '  anybody,  Mer- 
well. This  was  a  boxing  bout  for  points,  and  you 
are  no  longer  in  condition  to  box.  I  declare  Porter 
the  winner,  and  I  congratulate  him  on  his  clean 
and  clever  work  with  the  gloves." 

"He— he  fouled  me." 

"  Not  at  all.  If  there  was  any  fouling  it  was 
done  by  you  in  the  sixth  and  seventh  rounds.  I 
might  have  disqualified  you  then  if  I  had  been 
very  particular  about  it.  But  I  saw  that  Porter 
was  willing  to  let  you  go  on." 

This  was  the  bitterest  pill  of  all  for  Link  Mer- 
well to  swallow.  To  think  he  might  have  been 
disqualified  but  that  Dave  Porter  had  been  given 
the    chance    to    continue    hammering    him !     He 


THE  BOXING  BOUT  177 

wanted  to  argue,  but  no  one  except  Nat  Poole 
would  listen  to  him,  and  so  he  strode  out  of  the 
gymnasium  in  disgust,  accompanied  by  his  crony. 

"  It  makes  me  sick,"  he  muttered.  "  Everybody 
stands  up  for  Porter,  no  matter  what  he  does!  " 

"  Well,  you  see  he  has  a  way  of  worming  in  with 
everybody,"  answered  Nat  Poole.  "  A  decent 
chap  wouldn't  do  it,  but  you  couldn't  expect  any- 
thing different  from  a  poorhouse  boy,  could  you  ?  " 
When  alone  he  and  Merwell  frequently  referred 
to  Dave  as  "  a  poorhouse  boy,"  but  both  took  good 
care  not  to  use  that  term  in  public,  remembering 
what  punishment  it  had  brought  down  on  their 
heads. 

"  He'll  crow  over  us  worse  than  ever  now," 
resumed  Merwell.  "  Oh,  but  don't  I  wish  I  could 
square  up  with  him  and  the  rest  of  the  Gee  Eyesl  " 

11  We'll  do  it  some  day, — when  we  get  the 
chance,"  said  Poole.  "  Come  on  and  have  a 
smoke ;  it  will  help  to  quiet  you."  And  then  he  and 
the  bully  walked  away  from  Oak  Hall  to  a  se- 
cluded spot,  where  they  might  indulge  themselves 
in  the  forbidden  pastime  of  smoking  cigarettes. 
Both  were  inveterate  smokers  and  had  to  exercise 
extreme  caution  that  knowledge  of  the  offense 
might  not  reach  Doctor  Clay  or  his  assistants. 

Finding  a  comfortable  spot,  the  boys  sat  down 
on  a  fallen  tree  and  there  consumed  one  cigarette 
after  another,  trying  to  be  real  "  mannish  "  by  in- 


178    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

haling  the  smoke  and  blowing  it  through  the  nose. 
As  they  smoked  they  talked  of  many  things,  the 
conversation  finally  drifting  around  to  Vera  Rock- 
well and  Mary  Feversham. 

"  I  understand  Phil  Lawrence  is  daffy  over  that 
Feversham  girl,"  remarked  Poole.  "  She  is  a 
fairly  good  sort,  but  she  wouldn't  suit  me."  He 
said  this  because  Mary  had  snubbed  him  on  several 
occasions  when  they  had  met  in  Oakdale. 

"  Well,  I  heard  Roger  Morr  was  daffy  over 
that  Rockwell  girl,"  answered  Merwell.  "  And 
I  heard,  too,  that  Porter  was  likely  to  cut  him 
out." 

"Porter  cut  him  out!"  exclaimed  Nat  Poole. 
"Who  told  you  that?  Why,  Dave  Porter  is  too 
thick  with  Jessie  Wadsworth  to  think  much  of 
anybody  else." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that?  " 

"  Yes.  Why,  when  Porter  is  home  the  two  are 
as  thick  as  can  be.  I  am  sure  that  Jessie  Wadsworth 
thinks  the  world  of  him,  too,  although  why  is  be- 
yond my  comprehension,"  added  the  dudish  stu- 
dent. He  had  not  forgotten  how  Jessie  had  also 
snubbed  him,  when  invitations  were  being  sent  out 
for  her  party. 

"  Humph !  "  Link  Merwell  puffed  at  his  cigar- 
ette in  silence  for  a  moment.  "  You  say  they  are 
thick, — and  still  he  goes  out  with  this  Vera  Rock- 
well.   Kind  of  funny  mix-up,  eh  ?  " 


THE  BOXING  BOUT  179 

11  Oh,  I  suppose  he  has  a  right  to  do  as  he 
pleases,"  drawled  Nat. 

"  Say,  we  might "     Merwell  stopped  short 

and  blew  a  quantity  of  cigarette  smoke  from  his 
nose. 

"Might  what?" 

"  Oh,  I  was  just  thinking,  Nat "    And  the 

bully  stopped  again. 

"  If  you  don't  want  me  to  know,  say  so,"  re- 
turned the  dudish  student,  crossly. 

"  I  was  thinking  that  perhaps  we  could  put  a 
spoke  in  Dave  Porter's  wheel  in  a  manner  that 
he'd  never  suspect.  If  he's  somewhat  sweet  on 
that  Wadsworth  girl,  and  at  the  same  time  giving 
his  attention  to  Vera  Rockwell,  we  ought  to  be  able 
to  do  something." 

"What?" 

"  Supposing  that  Wadsworth  girl  heard  he  was 
running  around  with  a  girl  up  here,  and  supposing 
Vera  Rockwell  heard  about  the  Crumville  maiden  ? 
Maybe  Dave  Porter  would  have  some  work 
straightening  matters  out,  eh  ?  " 

"  By  Jove,  you're  right !  "  cried  Nat  Poole. 
"  It's  a  great  scheme,  Link !  If  we  work  it  right, 
we  can  get  him  in  the  hottest  kind  of  water — 
especially  if  he  thinks  a  good  deal  of  both  girls." 

"And  that  isn't  all,"  added  Link  Merwell, 
lighting  a  fresh  cigarette.  "  Don't  forget  Roger 
Morr.    If  he  thinks  a  good  deal  of  Vera  Rockwell 


180    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

we'll  manage  to  put  a  flea  in  his  ear, — that  Porter 
is  trying  to  cut  him  out  in  an  underhanded  way.  I 
reckon  that  will  split  up  the  friendship  between 
Porter  and  Morr  pretty  quick." 

"  So  it  will !  "  Nat  Poole's  eyes  fairly  beamed. 
"  This  is  the  best  plan  yet,  Link !  Let  us  put  it 
into  execution  at  once.    How  shall  we  go  at  it  ?  " 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen,"  said  Merwell. 

And  then  and  there  the  pair  plotted  to  get  Dave 
and  his  friends  into  "  the  hottest  kind  of  water," 
as  the  bully  expressed  it,  and  break  up  the  closest 
of  friendships. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

AT  THE   EXPRESS   OFFICE 

"  Dave,  we  want  you  to  take  part  in  the  enter- 
tainment we  are  getting  up." 

It  was  Luke  Watson  who  spoke.  Luke  had 
been  working  like  a  Trojan  to  get  all  the  talent  of 
the  school  into  line  for  what  he  said  was  going  to 
be  "  the  best  show  Oak  Hall  ever  put  up,  and 
don't  you  forget  it." 

"  I'm  willing  to  help  you  out,  Luke,  but  what 
do  you  want  me  to  do?  "  returned  Dave.  "I  am 
no  actor." 

"  I  know  what  he  can  do,"  said  Buster.  "  He 
and  Link  Merwell  can  give  a  boxing  match." 
And  this  caused  a  short  laugh. 

"  Say,  that  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story,"  came 
from  Shadow.     "  One  day  a  very  nice  lady " 

11  Say,  Shadow,  remember  what  I  told  you," 
broke  in  Luke.  "  If  you've  got  any  real  good, 
new  stories  keep  them  until  the  entertainment. 
You  are  down  for  a  ten-minutes'  monologue,  and 
it  will  take  quite  a  few  yarns  to  fill  the  time." 

"  Huh !     Don't  you  worry — I  can  tell  stories 

181 


182     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

for  ten  hours,"  answered  the  story-teller  of  the 
school.  "  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  one  day  a  very 
nice  lady  called  on  another  lady  with  a  friend. 
Says  she,  '  Mrs.  Smith,  allow  me  to  introduce  my 
friend,  Miss  Tarnose.'  Now,  as  it  happened,  Mrs. 
Smith  was  rather  deaf  so  she  says,  '  Excuse  me,  but 
I  didn't  catch  the  name.'  '  Miss  Tarnose,'  re- 
peated the  lady,  a  little  louder.  '  I  really  can't 
hear  you,'  says  Mrs.  Smith.  Then  the  lady  fairly 
bawled,  '  I  said  Miss  Tarnose ! '  But  Mrs.  Smith 
only  looked  puzzled.  •  I'm  sorry,'  she  said  at  last. 
'  My  hearing  must  be  worse.  I'd  hate  to  say  what 
it  sounded  like  to  me.  It  was  just  like  Tarnose ! '  " 
And  then  there  was  another  short  laugh. 

"  I  asked  Plum  to  take  part,"  went  on  Luke. 
"  He  said  he'd  like  to  do  a  dialogue,  if  he  could 
get  anybody  to  assist.  He  said  he  had  a  pretty 
good  piece." 

"  I  might  do  that,"  answered  Dave,  readily. 

"  Would  you  go  on  with  Plum?  " 

"  Certainly,  Luke." 

"  Well,  I  thought "    Luke  Watson  stopped 

short  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  feel  that  Gus  is  now  one  of  us,  Luke,  and  I 
wish  the  other  fellows  would  feel  the  same." 

"  Here  he  comes  now/'  said  Buster,  in  a  low 
tone,  as  Gus  Plum  came  into  sight  at  the  door  of 
the  schoolroom  in  which  the  talk  was  taking  place. 
Gus  looked  pale  and  somewhat  disturbed. 


AT  THE  EXPRESS  OFFICE  183 

"  Hello,  Plum !  "  sang  out  Luke.  "  Come  here, 
we  want  you." 

"  Luke  says  you  think  of  doing  a  dialogue  for 
the  show,"  said  Dave.  "What  have  you  got? 
If  it's  something  I  can  do,  I  may  go  in  with 
you." 

"Will  you,  Dave?"  The  face  of  the  former 
bully  of  Oak  Hall  brightened  instantly.  "  I'd  like 
that  first-rate.  The  dialogue  I  have  is  called 
1  Looking  for  a  Job.'  I  think  it  is  very  funny,  and 
we  might  make  it  still  more  funny  if  both  of  us 
spoke  in  a  brogue,  or  if  one  of  us  blacked  up  as  a 
darky." 

"  Let  me  read  the  dialogue,"  said  Dave.  "  And 
if  I  think  I  can  do  it,  I'll  go  in  with  you." 

The  upshot  of  this  conversation  was  that  Dave 
and  Plum  went  over  the  dialogue  with  care.  Be- 
tween them  they  made  some  changes  and  added 
a  few  lines,  bringing  in  some  fun  of  a  local  nature. 
Then  it  was  decided  that  Gus  Plum  should  assume 
the  character  of  a  darky  and  Dave  should  fix  up 
as  a  German  immigrant. 

"  Maybe,  if  we  work  hard,  we  can  make  our 
piece  the  hit  of  the  show,"  said  Dave.  That 
afternoon  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  sister  Laura  and 
also  one  to  Jessie,  telling  them  of  what  was  going 
on  and  adding  he  was  sorry  they  would  not  be 
there  to  see  the  entertainment. 

By  hard  work  Luke  Watson  got  over  twenty 


184    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

boys  of  Oak  Hall  to  take  part  in  the  show.  There 
were  to  be  several  dialogues  as  well  as  Shadow's 
monologue,  some  singing,  and  some  banjo  and 
guitar  playing,  also  a  humorous  drill,  given  by  six 
youths  who  called  themselves  The  Rough  Walk- 
ers, in  place  of  The  Rough  Riders.  One  student 
also  promised  a  set  of  lantern  pictures,  from 
photographs  taken  in  and  near  Oak  Hall  during 
the  past  term. 

At  first  Doctor  Clay  said  the  show  must  be  for  the 
students  only,  but  the  boys  begged  to  have  a  few 
outsiders,  and  in  the  end  each  lad  was  told  he  could 
invite  three  outsiders,  and  was  given  three  tickets 
for  that  purpose.  Dave  sent  his  tickets  to  his 
father,  but  he  doubted  if  any  one  at  home  would 
make  use  of  them. 

"  I  sent  one  ticket  home,"  said  Phil,  "  and  I 
sent  the  other  two  to  Mary  Feversham.  I  hope 
she  comes." 

"Want  her  to  come  with  the  other  fellow?" 
queried  Dave,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"  Oh,  I  thought  maybe  she'd  come  with  Vera 
Rockwell." 

"  That  would  suit  Roger,  Phil." 

"  Yes,  and  it  would  suit  you,  too,  Dave.  Oh, 
you  needn't  look  that  way.  I  know  you  think 
Vera  Rockwell  is  a  nice  girl." 

"  That's  true,  but " 

"  No  '  buts  '  about  it,  my  boy.    I  know  a  thing 


AT  THE  EXPRESS  OFFICE  185 

when  I  see  it.  I  guess  she  thinks  a  lot  of  you, 
too." 

"Now,  Phil "  began  Dave;  but  just  then 

some  other  boys  appeared  and  the  rather  delicate 
subject  had  to  be  dropped. 

Dave  had  procured  a  theatrical  book  on  how  to 
make  up  for  all  sorts  of  characters,  and  he  and 
Plum  studied  this  and  got  their  costumes  ready. 
Both  were  truly  comical  outfits,  and  each  lad  had 
to  laugh  at  the  other  when  they  put  them  on. 

"  We  must  keep  them  a  secret,"  said  Dave.  "  It 
will  spoil  half  the  fun  to  let  the  others  know  how 
we  are  going  to  be  dressed.  We  don't  want  a  soul 
to  know  until  we  step  on  the  stage."  And  so  it 
was  agreed. 

Several  of  the  boys  had  ordered  face  paints  and 
some  other  things  from  the  city,  to  be  sent  by  mail 
and  express,  and  when  some  of  the  articles  did  not 
come  to  hand,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  anxiety. 
Dave  was  minus  a  red  wig  which  he  had  ordered 
and  paid  for,  and  Phil  wanted  some  paint  and  a 
rubber  bulldog. 

"  Let  us  go  to  Oakdale  and  stir  up  the  post- 
master and  the  express  agent,"  said  Dave,  and  he 
and  the  shipowner's  son  set  out  for  the  town 
directly  after  breakfast  on  the  morning  of  the  day 
that  the  entertainment  was  to  come  off. 

As  the  roads  were  in  fairly  good  condition,  the 
strong  winds  having  dried  them  up,  the  two  lads 


186    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

made  the  trip  to  town  on  their  bicycles.  This  did 
not  take  long,  and  reaching  Oakdale  they  left  their 
wheels  at  a  drug  store,  where  they  stopped  to  get 
some  red  fire  that  was  to  be  burned  during  a 
tableau. 

At  the  post  office  they  were  in  luck,  for  two 
packages  had  just  come  in,  containing  some  things 
for  which  they  had  been  waiting. 

"  I  hope  we  have  as  good  luck  at  the  express 
office,"  said  Phil. 

The  office  mentioned  was  located  at  one  end  of 
the  depot.  Here  they  met  Mr.  Goode,  the  agent, 
with  whom  they  were  fairly  well  acquainted. 

"A  package  for  you?"  said  the  agent,  looking 
speculatively  at  Dave.  "  Why,  yes,  I've  got  a 
package  for  you.  Come  in.  I  was  going  to  send 
it  up  some  time  to-day  or  to-morrow." 

"  To-morrow  would  have  been  too  late,"  an- 
swered Dave.    "  I  need  the  stuff  to-day." 

The  boys  followed  the  agent  into  the  stuffy  little 
express  office.  Mr.  Goode  walked  to  a  heap  of 
packages  lying  in  a  corner  and  began  to  turn  them 
over. 

"  Hum !  "  he  murmured.  "  Don't  seem  to  be 
here.     I  had  it  yesterday." 

He  continued  to  hunt  around,  and  then  went  to 
a  receipt  book  lying  on  his  desk.  He  studied  sev- 
eral pages  for  some  minutes. 

"  Why,  you  must  have  gotten  it,"  he  said. 


AT  THE  EXPRESS  OFFICE  187 

"  No,  I  didn't." 

"  It's  signed  for." 

"  Well,  I  didn't  sign  for  it,"  answered  Dave, 
positively.  And  then  he  added,  "  Let  me  see  that 
signature." 

Mr.  Goode  shoved  the  receipt  book  toward  him 
and  pointed  out  the  signature.  It  was  a  mere 
scrawl  in  leadpencil,  that  might  stand  for  almost 
anything.  It  was  certainly  not  in  the  least  like 
Dave's  handwriting.' 

11 1  was  out  yesterday  afternoon,"  continued  the 
express  agent.  "  Went  to  a  funeral.  Dave  Case 
kept  office  for  me.  Maybe  he  can  tell  you  about 
it.  Probably  some  of  the  other  students  got  the 
package  for  you." 

Dave  Case  was  the  driver  of  the  local  express 
wagon.  He  was  out  on  a  trip  and  would 
not  be  back  for  half  an  hour.  This  being  so, 
there  was  nothing  for  Phil  and  Dave  to  do  but 
to  wait. 

"  If  some  of  the  other  fellows  got  that  pack- 
age it's  queer  they  didn't  say  anything,"  said  Dave, 
as  he  and  his  chum  walked  slowly  down  the  main 
street.  "  They  must  know  I  am  anxious — with 
the  show  to  come  off  to-night.  If  I  don't  get  that 
wig  my  part  won't  be  nearly  so  good." 

The  boys  reached  a  corner  and  were  standing 
there,  not  knowing  what  to  do,  when  two  girls 
crossed  over,  coming  from  a  dry-goods  store. 


188    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Hello !  "  cried  Phil,  and  his  face  lit  up  with 
pleasure.  "  Here  are  Mary  Feversham  and  Vera 
Rockwell." 

He  stepped  forward,  tipped  his  hat  and  shook 
hands,  and  then  Dave  did  the  same. 

"  I  must  thank  you  for  the  tickets,  Mr.  Law- 
rence," said  Mary,  sweetly.  "  It  was  very  kind  of 
you  to  send  them." 

"  I  hope  you  will  come,"  returned  the  ship- 
owner's son,  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  I  shall  be  there,  for  I  do  want  to  hear 
you  boys  sing  and  act.  I  am  coming  with  my 
mother." 

"  I  am  going,  too,"  added  Vera.  "  Roger  Morr 
sent  my  brother  two  tickets  and  invited  us.  Bob 
is  home  for  a  couple  of  days,  so  it  comes  in  real 
handy."  And  Vera  smiled  at  both  Dave  and  Phil. 
"  I  suppose  you  are  going  to  give  us  something  fine 
— a  real  city  vaudeville  show." 

"  We  are  going  to  do  our  best,"  answered  Dave, 
modestly. 

"  Dave  is  in  a  little  trouble,"  continued  the  ship- 
owner's sdn,  and  told  about  the  missing  express 
package. 

"  Oh,  I  hope  you  get  the  wig !  "  cried  Vera.  "  A 
red  one  will  look  so  becoming !  "  And  she  laughed 
heartily. 

"  And  he  is  to  have  a  big  red  mustache,  too," 
said  Phil. 


AT  THE  EXPRESS  OFFICE  189 

"  Hold  on,  Phil,  you  mustn't  give  away  any 
professional  secrets!  "  cried  Dave. 

"  Oh,  I  just  dote  on  red  mustaches,"  exclaimed 

Vera.     "  They  make  a  man  look  like  a — a 

Oh,  I  don't  know  what!  " 

"  Oh,  Vera,  you're  awful !  "  interposed  Mary. 
11  What  do  you  know  about  red  mustaches,  any- 
way?" 

"  She  never  had  one,  did  she?  "  remarked  Dave, 
calmly,  and  at  this  both  girls  shrieked  with  laugh- 
ter. "  But  never  mind,"  he  went  on.  "  After  I 
am  done  with  it,  she  can  have  mine."  And  this 
brought  forth  more  laughter. 

The  girls  and  boys  had  come  to  a  halt  directly 
in  front  of  a  new  candy  and  ice-cream  establish- 
ment, and  it  was  but  natural  that  Phil  should  sug- 
gest to  Dave  that  they  go  in  and  get  some  candy. 
The  girls  demurred  at  first  at  being  treated,  but 
then  consented,  and  all  went  into  the  store.  Dave 
purchased  some  assorted  chocolates  and  Phil  some 
fancy  fig  pastes,  the  girls  saying  they  liked  both. 

"  As  it's  a  new  store,  the  candies  ought  to  be 
fresh,"  remarked  Dave. 

"  Well,  I  like  them  best  that  way,"  answered 
Vera,  as  she  helped  herself  to  a  chocolate.  "  I 
don't  care  for  them  when  they  are  stale — and  it 
is  sometimes  hard  to  get  them  fresh  in  a  small 
town  like  this.     The  stores " 

She  stopped  short,  for  at  the  door  of  the  candy 


igo    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

establishment  they  almost  ran  into  a  party  of  two 
girls  and  a  man.  One  of  the  girls — the  younger — 
was  staring  very  hard  at  Dave. 

"Why,  father!"  cried  Dave,  in  astonishment. 
"  And  you,  too,  Laura  and  Jessie !  Why,  this  is 
a  surprise!  "  And  he  hastened  to  shake  hands  all 
around.     "  I  didn't  dream  of  your  coming." 

"  I  just  made  them  come,"  said  Laura,  giving 
him  a  kiss.  "  How  are  you,  Phil?  "  and  she  shook 
hands  with  the  shipowner's  son. 

When  Dave  took  Jessie's  hand  he  felt  it  trem- 
ble a  little.  The  girl  said  a  few  commonplace 
words  but  all  the  time  kept  looking  at  Vera. 

11  Let  me  introduce  our  friends,"  said  Phil,  and 
proceeded  to  go  through  the  ceremony.  "  We 
have  just  been  buying  some  candy.  Come,  have 
some,"  and  he  held  out  the  box  he  had  bought. 
Laura  took  some,  but  Jessie  shook  her  head. 

"  Thank  you,  not  to-day,  Phil,"  Jessie  said,  and 
there  seemed  to  be  a  little  catch  in  her  throat. 
Then  Dave  looked  at  her  fully  in  the  eyes,  and  of 
a  sudden  she  turned  her  head  away.  Somehow  he 
suspected  that  Jessie  wanted  to  cry,  and  he  won- 
dered why. 


CHAPTER  XX 

A   MISUNDERSTANDING 

Mr.  Porter  explained  that  they  had  just  come 
in  on  the  train,  and  were  looking  for  some  con- 
veyance to  take  them  to  Oak  Hall. 

"  We  thought  we  might  call  on  you  for  an  hour 
or  so  and  then  come  back  and  put  up  at  the  Oak- 
dale  Hotel,"  he  said. 

"  I'll  certainly  be  glad  to  have  you  call,"  an- 
swered Dave. 

Then  he  told  about  the  missing  express  package. 
In  the  meantime  Laura  conversed  with  Mary  and 
Vera,  but  nothing  was  said  about  how  the  boys  and 
girls  had  chanced  to  meet.  Then  Mary  and  Vera 
said  they  must  attend  to  some  errands  and  get 
home. 

"  Well,  we'll  look  for  you  to-night,  sure  1 " 
cried  Phil. 

"  We'll  be  there,"  answered  Mary. 

"  I  wouldn't  miss  it  for  a  good  deal,"  said 
Vera.  "  I  want  to  see  that  red  mustache  and 
wig,  if  nothing  else!  "    And  she  laughed,  merrily. 

"  You  won't  see  the  wig  unless  my  package  is 
191 


192     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

found,"  answered  Dave;  and  then  the  two  girls 
hurried  away. 

Mr.  Porter  led  the  way  to  the  local  hotel,  situ- 
ated close  to  the  depot,  and  there  registered  his 
party  for  dinner  and  supper. 

"  You  can  take  dinner  with  us,"  said  he  to  his 
son  and  Phil.  "  I'll  write  a  note  to  Doctor  Clay, 
so  there  will  be  no  trouble." 

"  We  can't  stay  very  long  after  dinner,"  an- 
swered Dave.  "  I  must  look  up  that  package, — 
and  all  hands  want  some  kind  of  a  rehearsal." 

The  boys  walked  to  the  express  office,  but  Case 
had  not  come  back,  so  they  had  to  go  to  dinner 
without  hearing  from  the  driver.  The  five  sat  at 
a  separate  table,  and  Dave  had  Laura  on  one  side 
and  Jessie  on  the  other.  He  did  his  best  to  make 
himself  agreeable  to  Jessie,  but  she  did  not  warm 
up  as  was  usual  with  her,  and  this  made  his  heart 
feel  rather  heavy. 

"  Why,  Jessie,  you  don't  act  like  yourself,"  he 
said,  after  dinner,  and  while  the  others  were  sitting 
somewhat  apart  from  them  in  the  hotel  parlor. 

"Don't  I?"  she  asked. 

"  No,  you  don't.  What  is  the  matter,  don't 
you  feel  well?"  And  his  face  showed  his  con- 
cern. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  feel  very  well."  Her  lips  trembled 
a  little.    "  I — I  guess  I  am  out  of  sorts,  that's  all." 

"  It's  too  bad." 


A  MISUNDERSTANDING  193 

"  Oh,  I'll  soon  get  over  it,  I  suppose."  Jessie 
gave  a  sigh.  "  Tell  me  about  your  doings,  Dave. 
I  suppose  you  are  having  hard  work  at  school  and 
like  to  get  out  and  meet  some  of  your  Oakdale 
friends." 

11  Why,  yes,  I  like  to  get  out  sometimes." 

"  Those  seem  to  be  very  nice  girls." 

"  Yes,  they  are.  Phil  is  quite  fond  of  one  of 
them,  too." 

"Which  one?" 

"  Mary  Feversham.  We  became  acquainted 
with  them  in  quite  an  odd  way,"  and  he  told  of 
the  big  snowball  and  the  ice-boat. 

"  That  Vera  Rockwell  seems  to  think  a  great 
deal  of  you,  Dave." 

"Do  you  think  so?  Well,  I  think  she  is  a 
nice " 

11  Dave,  there  is  the  expressman  now !  "  called 
out  Phil,  from  his  position  near  a  window. 
"  Come  on,  if  you  want  to  find  out  about  that 
package." 

"  All  right,"  answered  Dave,  and  for  the  time 
being  he  forgot  all  about  what  he  was  going  to 
say  to  Jessie — that  he  thought  Vera  nice  but  not 
as  nice  as  Jessie  herself — something  which  might 
have  gone  a  long  way  toward  heading  off  the  trou- 
ble that  was  brewing. 

For  boys  and  girls  will  often  think  a  great  deal 
of  each  other — and  a  heartache  at  fourteen  or  six- 


194     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

teen  is  often  as  real,  if  not  as  lasting,  as  at  twenty 
or  older.  Since  the  day  Dave  had  saved  Jessie's 
life  he  had  been  her  one  hero  and  her  closest  boy 
chum,  and  now  to  find  him  in  the  society  of  an- 
other and  for  him  to  say  she  was  nice And 

then  there  was  more  than  this,  an  anonymous  let- 
ter, concocted  by  Link  Merwell  and  Nat  Poole 
and  sent  to  her  by  mail.  That  letter  had  said 
some  terrible  things  about  Dave — things  she  could 
not  and  would  not  believe,  and  yet  things  which 
made  her  very  miserable. 

"  I  suppose  he  has  a  right  to  make  such  friends 
as  he  pleases,"  she  thought.  "  It  is  none  of  my 
affair,  and  I  have  no  right  to  spoil  his  pleasure  by 
saying  anything."  And  then  she  brushed  away  the 
tears  that  would  come  into  her  eyes  in  spite  of  her 
efforts  to  keep  them  back. 

At  the  express  office  Dave  and  Phil  found  Mr. 
Goode  already  questioning  the  wagon  driver  about 
the  missing  package. 

"  I  turned  it  over  to  a  boy  who  said  he  belonged 
to  Oak  Hall  school  and  would  give  it  to  Dave 
Porter,"  said  the  driver.  "  I  thought  you  had  it 
by  this  time.  He  signed  for  it — leastwise  he  put 
that  scrawl  on  the  book." 

"What  was  his  name?"  asked  Dave. 

11 1  asked  him,  but  he  mumbled  something  I 
didn't  catch.  I  didn't  pay  much  attention,  for  I 
thought  it  was  all  right." 


A  MISUNDERSTANDING  195 

"What  sort  of  looking  chap  was  he?"  asked 
Phil. 

As  best  he  could  the  wagon  driver  described  the 
individual.  The  description  might  have  fitted 
half  a  dozen  lads,  until  he  mentioned  a  four-in- 
hand  tie  of  bright  blue  with  white  daggers 
splashed  over  it. 

"  Merwell  wears  a  tie  like  that !  "  cried  Phil. 
"  I  have  seen  it  several  times." 

"  What  would  he  be  doing  with  my  package, 
Phil?" 

"What?  Why,  maybe  he  knew  about  the  wig 
and  wanted  to  spoil  your  part  of  the  show.  It 
would  be  like  him  to  play  such  a  trick." 

"  That's  true,"  answered  Dave,  and  then  he 
asked  the  wagon  driver  if  the  boy  had  worn  a  ring 
with  a  ruby. 

"  Yes,  a  fine  large  stone,"  answered  the  man. 

"  Then  it  was  Link  Merwell,"  said  Dave,  de- 
cidedly. "  Now  the  question  is,  What  has  he  done 
with  the  package?" 

"  I  don't  think  he'd  dare  to  destroy  it,"  an- 
swered Phil.  "  Probably  he  hid  it  away  some- 
where." 

"  I'll  soon  find  out.     Come  on,  Phil." 

"  Going  to  tax  him  with  it?" 

"  Yes.  He  hasn't  any  right  to  touch  my  prop- 
erty, or  to  sign  my  name." 

Hurrying  back  to  the  hotel,  the  boys  told  of 


ig6    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

what  they  had  learned.  Then  they  got  their 
bicycles  and  pedaled  with  all  speed  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Oak  Hall.  Dave  felt  very  much  out  of 
sorts,  not  only  because  the  package  was  missing 
but  also  over  the  meeting  with  Jessie.  It  was  the 
first  time  that  there  had  been  any  coldness  between 
them — for  he  felt  that  it  was  a  coldness,  although 
he  could  not  explain  it. 

Arriving  at  the  school,  they  learned  that  Link 
Merwell  had  taken  a  walk  with  Nat  Poole.  Chip 
Macklin  pointed  out  the  direction,  and  Dave  and 
Phil  went  after  the  pair.  They  were  not  sur- 
prised to  catch  the  cronies  smoking  on  some  rocks 
behind  a  growth  of  underbrush  near  the  highway 
beyond  the  campus.  As  Dave  and  his  chum  came 
up  Poole  and  Merwell  threw  their  cigarettes  away. 

"  Merwell,  what  did  you  do  with  my  express 
package?"  demanded  Dave,  coming  at  once  to 
the  point. 

The  words  made  the  bully  start,  but  he  quickly 
recovered  and  arose  slowly  to  his  feet. 

"Want  to  see  me?"  he  drawled. 

"  I  want  my  express  package." 

"  Don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about." 

"  Yes,  you  do.  Where  is  the  package  ?  I  want 
it  at  once." 

"  You  took  it  out  of  the  express  office,  and  we 
can  prove  it,"  added  Phil. 

"  Humph !  "  growled  Link  Merwell. 


A  MISUNDERSTANDING  197 

"Are  you  going  to  give  up  the  package  or 
not?"  demanded  Dave. 

"  Who  says  I — er — took .  any  package  of 
yours?"  blustered  the  bully,  trying  to  put  on  a 
bold  front. 

11 1  say  so,"  declared  Dave.  "  And  you  not 
only  took  it  but  you  signed  for  it.  Merwell,  do 
you  know  that  signing  another  person's  name 
without  permission  is  forgery?"  he  went  on, 
pointedly. 

At  these  plain  words  Link  Merwell  grew  pale. 

"  I — er — I  didn't  sign  your  name." 

11  You  pretended  to  sign  it,  and  that's  the  same 
thing.  You  got  the  package  from  the  office  by 
fraud." 

"  No,  I  didn't.  I  said  I'd  take  it  to  the  school, 
and  I  did." 

"Then  where  is  it?  " 

"  In  your  dormitory." 

"Where?" 

"  On  the  top  shelf  of  the  closet — been  there 
since  yesterday,"  and  now  Link  Merwell  leered 
over  the  joke  he  had  played. 

"  Ha !  ha !  ha ! "  came  from  Nat  Poole. 
"  That's  one  on  you,  Dave  Porter." 

"  It  was  a  mean  trick  to  play,"  was  Phil's  com- 
ment. 

"Did  you  open  that  package?"  demanded 
Dave. 


ig8    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  No,  I  didn't  touch  it,  excepting  to  bring  it 
from  the  express  office." 

"  Very  well  then,  Merwell.  If  I  find  anything 
wrong  I'll  hold  you  responsible." 

"  Say,  you  needn't  try  to  scare  me!  " 

"  I  am  not  trying  to  scare  you — I  am  merely 
giving  you  warning.  I  won't  put  up  with  any  of 
your  underhand  work,  and  I  want  you  to  know  it," 
answered  Dave,  and  turning  on  his  heel  he  walked 
back  to  the  school,  followed  by  Phil. 

"  He's  mad  all  right,"  whispered  Nat  Poole. 

"  Maybe  he  has  heard  from  that  Crumville  girl 
in  a  way  he  didn't  like,"  returned  Link  Merwell, 
and  closed  one  eye  suggestively. 

"  Well,  if  he  did,  I  hope  she  didn't  say  any- 
thing about  the  letter,"  answered  Nat  Poole,  some- 
what uneasily.     "  That  was  awfully  strong." 

"  Pooh !  Don't  get  scared  Nat ;  nobody  will 
ever  find  out  who  wrote  that  letter,  if  we  keep 
our  mouths  shut." 

Going  up  to  the  dormitory,  Dave  found  the 
package  on  the  shelf  of  the  closet,  as  Merwell  had 
said.  It  was  tucked  behind  some  other  things,  well 
out  of  sight. 

"  It  was  certainly  a  well-planned  trick,"  said  the 
shipowner's  son,  while  Dave  was  opening  the  pack- 
age. "  He  did  this  so,  if  he  was  found  out,  he 
could  say  he  gave  the  package  to  you  and  could 
bring  the  doctor  here  to  prove  it.    Perhaps  he  had 


A  MISUNDERSTANDING  199 

in  mind  to  add  that  you  had  hidden  the  package 
yourself,  just  to  get  him  into  trouble." 

"  Maybe  you're  right,  Phil ;  I  believe  Merwell 
equal  to  almost  anything." 

Fortunately  the  contents  of  the  package  had  not 
been  disturbed.  Having  ascertained  that  much, 
Dave  went  off  to  find  Gus  Plum,  so  that  they  might 
have  a  final  rehearsal  of  the  little  play  they  were 
to  enact.  In  the  lower  hall  he  ran  into  Job 
Haskers. 

11  Porter,  I  want  to  see  you !  "  cried  the  assistant 
teacher,  harshly.  "  You  were  absent  at  dinner 
time.  You  know  that  is  contrary  to  the  rules. 
What  have  you  to  say  for  yourself?" 

"  I  met  my  father  in  Oakdale,  sir — he  is  coming 
to  the  entertainment  to-night.  He  asked  Phil 
Lawrence  and  myself  to  dine  with  him.  I  have  a 
note  for  the  doctor  from  him  explaining  the 
matter." 

"  Hum !  Very  well,"  answered  Job  Haskers, 
and  hurried  off  without  another  word.  Dave 
smiled  grimly  to  himself,  and  lost  no  time  in  tak- 
ing the  note  to  the  doctor,  who  excused  him  and 
Phil  readily. 

Dave  learned  from  Shadow  that  Gus  Plum  had 
been  in  the  school  but  had  gone  off  in  the  direction 
of  the  old  boathouse.  Feeling  that  it  was  growing 
late  Dave  hurried  after  the  missing  student.  Just 
as  he  neared  the  old  boathouse,  which  stood  partly 


aoo    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

on  some  rocks  and  partly  over  the  river,  he  heard 
a  strange  crash  of  glass. 

"Hello,  what's  that?"  he  asked  himself,  and 
ran  forward  to  see. 

"  There !  you'll  never  tempt  me  again !  "  he 
heard,  in  Gus  Plum's  voice. 

Then  he  turned  the  corner  of  the  old  boathouse 
and  saw  the  former  bully  of  Oak  Hall  standing 
near  some  rocks.  At  his  feet  lay  the  remains  of  a 
big  bottle.  Plum  looked  pale  and  as  if  he  had 
been  fighting. 

"  Oh,  Gus !  "  cried  Dave,  and  then  stopped  short 
and  looked  at  the  broken  bottle  and  at  the  stuff 
flowing  over  the  rocks. 

"  Dave !  "  returned  the  big  youth.  And  then  he 
added,  simply:  "It  was  a  bottle  of  wine,  and 
rather  than  keep  it  to  be  tempted,  I  smashed  it." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

IN   WHICH   THE    BOYS   GIVE   AN   ENTERTAINMENT 

"  Gus,  that  was  the  bravest  thing  you  ever 
did!" 

And  so  speaking,  Dave  caught  the  other  youth 
by  the  hand  and  shoulder  and  held  him  for  a 
moment. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  about  that,"  was  the  hesi- 
tating reply.  "  I — I  should  have  smashed  it  when 
I  received  it." 

"  Where  did  you  get  the  wine,  if  I  may  ask?  " 

"  It  was  sent  to  me  by  Link  Merwell." 

"  What !  "  Dave's  manner  showed  his  great 
astonishment.  u  Do  you  mean  to  say  he  sent  you 
that,  knowing  that  you  were  trying  to  give  up  the 
habit?" 

"  Yes.  He  says  I  am  a  fool  to  listen  to  you — 
said  I  was  tied  to  your  coat-tail — that  I  ought  to  be 
independent.  He  says  a  little  drinking  won't  hurt 
anybody." 

"  Gus,  he  is  trying  to — to "     Dave  could 

not  finish  the  sentence,  for  he  did  not  want  to  hurt 
Plum's  feelings. 


202     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Yes,  I  know.  He'd  like  to  see  me  down  and 
out,  as  the  saying  goes.  He  hates  me  because  I 
won't  chum  with  him  any  longer." 

"  The  less  you  have  to  do  with  him  the  better, 
Gus." 

"  I  know  that,  and  just  before  I  came  out  here  to 
break  that  bottle  I  sent  him  a  note  telling  him 
that  if  he  sent  me  any  more  such  stuff  I'd  break 
the  next  bottle  over  his  head !  "  And  Plum's  face 
glowed  with  some  of  his  old-time  assertiveness. 

"  Well,  I  shouldn't  blame  you  for  that,  Gus.  I 
rather  think  your  threat  will  keep  him  in  the  back- 
ground for  a  while." 

Dave  could  realize  something  of  the  struggle 
which  the  former  bully  had  had,  to  throw  the 
bottle  of  wine  away.  But  he  did  not  know  all — 
how  for  three  hours  the  poor  lad  had  wavered 
between  drinking  and  abstaining — and  that  it 
was  only  the  thoughts  of  Dave,  and  of  his 
mother  and  home,  that  had  kept  him  in  the  right 
path. 

Leading  the  way  to  the  new  boathouse,  Dave 
found  a  spot  where  they  would  not  be  interrupted, 
and  here  he  and  Plum  went  to  work  on  their 
dialogue,  making  such  final  changes  as  seemed 
best." 

"  I've  had  my  troubles  with  Merwell,  too,"  said 
Dave,  and  told  about  the  express  package.  "  He 
seems  bound  to  bring  us  to  grief." 


THE  BOYS  GIVE  AN  ENTERTAINMENT    203 

"  He's  a  bad  egg — the  worst  in  the  school,"  was 
Gus  Plum's  comment. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  all  the  boys  were  a 
little  nervous  as  the  time  approached  for  the  en- 
tertainment. It  was  to  take  place  in  the  large 
assembly  room  of  Oak  Hall,  and  the  platform  had 
been  transformed  into  something  of  a  stage,  with 
side  curtains  and  a  drop,  and  a  back  scene  hired 
from  a  distant  theater  and  representing  a  garden. 
The  room  itself  was  decorated  with  flags  and  bunt- 
ing, and  looked  cozy  and  inviting. 

Promptly  on  time  the  visitors  began  to  arrive, 
some  from  Oakdale  and  others  from  a  distance. 
The  boys  to  take  part  in  the  show  were  behind  the 
scenes,  while  others  showed  the  visitors  to  seats, 
so  that  Dave  did  not  see  any  of  his  friends  or 
relatives  until  later. 

The  programme  had  been  divided  into  two 
parts,  of  five  numbers  each,  including  an  opening 
song  by  all  the  players,  and  a  closing  farce  written 
merely  to  bring  in  all  the  characters. 

"  Now,  fellows,  do  your  best,"  said  Luke  Wat- 
son, as  the  school  orchestra  played  the  overture. 
"  Make  it  as  near  like  a  professional  show  as 
possible." 

"  Say,  that  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  story,"  came 

from   Shadow.      "  Once   some  young  ladies 

But,  pshaw !  I'll  save  that  for  the  stage,"  he 
added,  and  broke  off  suddenly. 


204    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

The  opening  number  went  very  well,  and  then 
came  a  playlet  by  four  of  the  boys  representing 
four  sailors  ashore  after  an  ocean  trip  of  five  years. 
The  sailors  did  not  apparently  know  how  to  act  in 
a  big  city  and  did  so  many  ridiculous  things  that 
the  applause  was  long  and  loud. 

A  musical  number  followed,  introducing  banjo 
playing  by  Luke,  a  guitar  solo  by  Henshaw,  a 
cornet  solo  by  a  lad  named  Dixon,  and  then  a  trio 
by  the  three.  Then  came  fancy  dumbbell  exer- 
cises and  club-swinging  by  three  members  of  the 
gymnasium  club,  and  this  too  went  very  well,  the 
exercisers  keeping  time  to  a  march  played  by 
the  orchestra. 

The  next  number  was  Shadow's  monologue,  and 
when  that  youth  came  out  everybody  had  to  laugh 
before  he  said  a  word.  He  was  dressed  as  an  ex- 
treme dude,  with  big  checked  coat  and  trousers, 
fancy  colored  vest,  a  tremendous  watch-chain,  and 
paste  diamond  stud,  very  pointed  patent  leather 
shoes,  a  high  standing  collar,  and  a  highly-polished 
silk  hat. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  boys,  girls,  and  fellow- 
weepers,"  he  commenced  with  a  profound  bow  and 
a  flourish  of  his  silk  hat,  "  I  have  been  asked  an 
important  question,  namely,  What  is  the  difference 
between  a  cat  and  a  shotgun  ?  Well,  I  don't  know, 
excepting  that  both  can  go  off,  but  it's  only  the 
feline  that  comes  back.     Now,  that  puts  me  in 


THE  BOYS  GIVE  AN  ENTERTAINMENT    205 

mind  of  a  story  I  once  heard  while  traveling  in 
Egypt  with  Noah,  looking  for  a  typewriter  which 
was  lost  overboard  from  the  ark.  A  little  boy 
went  to  a  hardware  store  for  his  dad  and  hung 
around  waiting  to  be  waited  on.  At  last  a  clerk 
asked,  '  Well,  little  boy,  what  do  you  want  ?  ' 
4  Oh,'  says  the  little  boy,  '  I  want  a  fire  engine,  an' 
a  hobby  horse,  an'  a  automobile,  an'  a  lot  o'  things, 
but  papa  he  wants  a  bottle  of  glue,  an'  he  says  if 
it  don't  stick  he'll  stick  you  for  it  I  '  Now,  that's 
the  same  boy  who  went  to  the  courthouse  to  get 
courtplaster  for  his  mother  and  then  went  down  to 
the  henhouse  to  look  for  egg  plants." 

There  was  considerable  applause  over  this  open- 
ing, and  Shadow  continued : 

"  That  hand-clapping  puts  me  in  mind  of  an- 
other story.  A  would-be  actor  had  joined  a  barn- 
storming company,  and  the  company  opened  in  a 
little  place  on  Staten  Island  where  the  mosquitoes 
are  manufactured  by  the  ton,  gross,  or  hogshead, 
just  as  you  want  'em.  Well,  as  soon  as  the  play 
commenced,  the  would-be  actor  thought  he  heard 
a  lot  of  applause.  Says  he  to  the  scene-shifter: 
4  We've  got  'em  a-going,  haven't  we?'  'I  don't 
know  if  you  have  or  not,'  answered  the  scene- 
shifter.  '  I  know  the  mosquitoes  have  some  of  'em 
a-going,  by  the  way  they're  slapping  at  'em !  ' 
Well,  that  company  busted  up  and  the  would-be 
actor  had  to  come  home  on  a  trolley-car  because  he 


206    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

couldn't  afford  the  train.  He  had  only  a  nickel, 
and  that  he  put  into  his  mouth,  and  all  at  once  it 
went  down.  '  What's  the  matter  ?  '  asked  the  con- 
ductor. '  I — I  swallowed  my  nickel — the  only 
one  I  had !  '  gasped  the  would-be  actor.  '  Never 
mind,  I'll  ring  it  up,'  said  the  conductor,  and  he 
did.  And  then  the  actor  didn't  know  if  he  was  a 
nickel  in  or  a  nickel  out." 

This  brought  forth  more  applause,  and  Shadow 
continued  to  tell  one  story  or  joke  after  another,  in 
rapid  succession,  until  the  entire  audience  was  roar- 
ing. When  he  made  his  bow  and  disappeared  be- 
hind a  side  curtain  his  monologue  was  voted  by  all 
one  of  the  hits  of  the  evening. 

"  It  was  all  right,"  said  Dave.  "  I  only  hope 
our  playlet  goes  as  well." 

The  playlet  came  in  the  middle  of  Part  Two, 
and  the  stage  was  set  with  a  table,  two  chairs,  and 
several  other  things.  The  table  was  a  small  one 
stored  in  a  side  room,  and  the  chairs  were  common 
kitchen  chairs.  They  were  brought  out  by  Chip 
Macklin  and  Frank  Bond,  who  had  been  chosen 
to  do  all  kinds  of  errands. 

"  I  just  met  Link  Merwell  in  the  side  room," 
said  Chip,  when  he  came  out  with  the  table.  "  He 
looks  as  sour  as  can  be.  I  guess  he  wishes  the 
show  would  be  a  failure — because  he  wasn't  asked 
to  take  part." 

"  Yes,    he'd   like   to   make    it   a    failure,"    an- 


THE  BOYS  GIVE  AN  ENTERTAINMENT    207 

swered  Dave ;  and  then,  for  the  time  being,  turned 
his  whole  attention  to  the  play  and  gave  his  enemy 
no  further  thought. 

Dave  and  Plum  had  gotten  themselves  up  with 
great  care,  as  a  German  immigrant  and  a  darky, 
and  when  one  shuffled  on  the  stage  after  the  other 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  laughing.  The  playlet 
revolved  around  the  question  of  getting  situations 
as  a  butler  and  a  footman  in  a  fashionable  resi- 
dence, and  the  lines  were  humorous  in  the  extreme, 
and  both  Dave  and  Gus  got  about  all  the  fun  pos- 
sible from  them. 

"  Oh,  how  very,  very  funny !  "  cried  Laura,  and 
could  hardly  control  her  laughter. 

"  It  certainly  is  funny,"  answered  Jessie,  and 
then  she  glanced  over  to  where  Vera  Rockwell 
was  sitting  with  some  friends.  She  saw  Vera  ap- 
plauding vigorously  and  it  piqued  her  just  a  little. 
She  clapped  her  hands,  too,  but  her  heart  was  not 
as  light  as  it  might  have  been  had  Vera  not  been 
there. 

In  the  course  of  the  playlet,  Dave  had  to  stand 
on  one  of  the  chairs  and  then  mount  to  the  table, 
to  show  how  he  would  play  the  part  of  a  foot- 
man. As  he  got  up  on  a  chair  there  was  an  unex- 
pected crack,  and  down  went  the  back  part,  letting 
him  fall  most  unexpectedly. 

It  takes  a  quick-witted  person  to  do  just  the 
right  thing  in  a  case  of  emergency.     Dave  had  not 


2o8    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

looked  for  this  fall,  and  the  play  did  not  call  for 
it.  Like  a  flash  he  felt  that  this  was  some  trick 
of  Link  Merwell.  But  just  as  quickly  as  the  acci- 
dent came  he  resolved  to  make  the  best  of  it.  In  a 
very  comical  way  he  rolled  over  twice,  stood  partly 
on  his  head  and  then  sat  up  with  a  dazed  expres- 
sion. 

"  Oxcuse  me!"  he  said,  in  a  German  tone  of 
voice.  "  I  tidn't  know  dot  chair  vos  so  tired  owid 
he  tidn't  vont  to  hold  me  alretty."  Then  he 
picked  up  the  broken  chair.  "  Veil,  of  you  ton't 
vont  to  sthand  up,  chust  lay  down,"  and  he  flung 
the  broken  article  behind  him. 

This  brought  forth  an  extra  round  of  applause 
and  in  the  midst  of  this  Dave  began  to  climb  up 
the  second  chair.  That  too  he  felt  to  be  "  doc- 
tored," and  he  went  up  with  care  and  thus  man- 
aged to  stand  on  top  without  breaking  off  the  legs 
which  had  been  nearly  cracked  through.  Then 
from  the  chair  he  went  to  the  table.  He  knew 
what  to  expect  now  and  began  to  prepare  for  it. 

"  Dis  coach  vos  got  von  palky  horse,"  he  said. 
"  Chust  you  hold  der  animile  alretty,  yah !  " 

"  Dat  wot  I  will,  brudder  Carl,"  answered 
Plum,  in  negro  dialect,  and  wondering  what 
was  to  come  next,  for  those  lines  were  not  in  the 
playlet. 

"  Now,  dot  is  der  vay  I  goes  me  riding  py  der 
Park,"  went  on  Dave,  beginning  to  wabble  on  the 


Down  went  the  back  part,  letting  him  fall  most 
unexpectedly.  —  Page  207. 


THE  BOYS  GIVE  AN  ENTERTAINMENT    209 

shaky  table.  "  Whoa  mit  dot  hoss !  Tidn't  I 
told  you  he  vos  baiky?  "  For  the  table  was  grow- 
ing weaker  and  weaker. 

"  Say,  dun  yo'  know  dat  hoss  has  got  de  dumb 
ager?  "  demanded  Plum.  "  Wot  yo'  want  to  give 
him  is  a  dose  of  Plaster  of  Paris  Pills  fo'  Peevish 
People.    If  dat  hoss  should " 

11  He's  running  avay !  Call  der  fire  engines  and 
der  hoss-pistol  vagons !  "  bawled  Dave,  and  made 
a  movement  as  if  on  a  runaway  coach.  Then,  as 
the  table  settled  with  a  final  crash,  he  whispered  to 
Plum :  "  Make  believe  stop  the  horse  and  quarrel 
over  it."  Then  he  leaped  forward,  caught  an 
imaginary  horse  by  the  tail  and  struggled  to  hold 
back.  Gus  was  equally  quick-witted  and  leaped  to 
the  head  of  the  same  imaginary  horse  and  stretched 
up  and  down,  as  if  he  had  hold  of  the  bridle. 
Then  the  two  boys  backed  and  "  shied  "  all  over 
the  stage,  overturning  the  second  chair,  at  which 
Dave  yelled,  "  Dere  goes  dot  peanut  stand  al- 
retty !  "  Then  of  a  sudden  the  two  young  actors 
faced  each  other. 

"  Wot's  de  mattah  wid  you?  Da  ain't  no  hoss 
heah!" 

"  Yah,  dot's  so — he  runt  avay  alretty!  " 

"  Yo'  is  a  fine  footman,  getting  scared  at  a  hoss 
wot  ain't  no  hoss." 

"  Veil,  of  he  vosn't  no  hoss  vy  you  cotch  him  py 
der  headt,  hey?  " 


210     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Dat's  because  yo'  was  a  fool  an'  I  had  to  fol- 
low yo' I  mean  at  yo' " 

"  I  know  vot  you  mean.  You  mean  you  vos 
der  fool  und  der  hoss " 

"  Look  heah  now,  Mr.  Dutchy,  I  wants  yo'  to 
understand  dat  I  ain't  no  fool." 

"  Veil,  Mr.  Vight,  I  dake  your  vord  for  dot, 
hey?  Now,  vot  you  do  ven  you  vos  a  putler, 
hey?" 

And  from  that  point  the  playlet  went  on  as 
originally  intended;  the  two  finally  winding  up 
when  a  postman's  whistle  was  heard  and  each  got 
a  letter  from  the  same  man,  stating  the  one  to  ar- 
rive first  at  a  certain  house  could  have  a  job.  Both 
started  at  the  same  time  and  each  tripped  the 
other  up.  Then  both  left  the  stage  on  hands  and 
knees,  each  trying  to  keep  the  other  back.  It  was 
a  truly  comical  wind-up,  and  when  the  curtain  went 
down  there  was  a  thunder  of  applause. 

"Dave,  it  was  great!"  cried  Roger.  "You 
acted  the  Dutchman  to  perfection,  and  Plum  was 
the  darky  to  a  T !  " 

"  That's  true,"  added  Phil.  "  But  say,  didn't 
you  change  that  coach  scene  some?  " 

"  Well,  rather,"  put  in  Gus.  "  We  had  to  do 
it  on  account  of " 

"  Link  Merwell,"  finished  Dave.  "  That's  an- 
other black  mark  I  am  going  to  put  down  to  his 
account." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

FORMING  THE  BASEBALL  CLUB 

After  it  was  at  an  end  the  entertainment  was 
voted  the  best  yet  given  at  Oak  Hall.  Of  course 
there  had  been  a  few  small  hitches,  such  as  a  wig 
falling  off  of  one  actor  and  another  breaking  a 
guitar  string  just  when  he  was  playing,  but  those 
did  not  count. 

"  It  was  splendid!  "  said  Jessie  to  Dave,  when 
they  met. 

11 1  am  glad  you  liked  it,"  he  answered.  "  I 
know  all  the  fellows  did  their  best." 

"  That  table  scene  made  me  nearly  die  laugh- 
ing," said  Laura. 

"  That  came  in  rather  unexpectedly,  Laura. 
It  wasn't  on  the  programme.  I  think  Link  Mer- 
well  is  responsible  for  it."  And  then  her  brother 
told  of  what  had  been  discovered — the  legs  of  the 
table  and  chairs  nearly  split  in  two. 

"  He  must  be  a  thoroughly  bad  fellow,"  was 
Jessie's  comment. 

"  He  is,  and  he  would  do  almost  anything  to  get 


212     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

me  and  some  of  the  other  students  into  trouble," 
returned  Dave. 

Vera  and  Mary  were  waiting  to  speak  to  some 
of  the  boys,  and  Vera  laughed  heartily  when  she 
saw  Dave. 

"  Oh,  but  you  make  a  fine  German !  "  she  said. 
"  I  think  you  ought  to  go  on  the  stage."  And  then 
she  complimented  Phil,  Roger,  and  some  of  the 
others  whom  she  knew. 

Mr.  Porter  had  arranged  to  remain  at  the  hotel 
over  night  with  his  party.  They  left  for  Oak- 
dale  shortly  after  the  entertainment,  and  Vera, 
Mary,  and  some  others  went  with  them,  in  car- 
riages of  their  own.  Dave  noticed  that  Jessie  was 
not  herself,  and  when  they  were  alone  in  a  hallway 
for  a  moment  asked  the  reason. 

"  Oh,  it's  nothing,  Dave,"  she  answered,  but 
without  looking  him  squarely  in  the  eyes. 

"  But  I  know  there  is  something,  Jessie,"  he 
said,  and  his  voice  showed  his  anxiety.  "  Have  I 
offended  you  in  any  way?  " 

"  No,  not  in  the  least." 

"  But  you  are  angry  with  me." 

"  No,  I  am  not  angry."  She  kept  her  eyes  hid- 
den from  his  gaze. 

"  Well,  there  is  something,  and  I  wish  you  would 
tell  me  what  it  is." 

"  No,  I'll  not  say  a  word.  If  you  don't  know 
what  it  is,  it  doesn't  matter,"  said  the  girl,  and 


FORMING  THE  BASEBALL  CLUB      213 

then  rejoined  Laura  and  Mr.  Porter.  When  they 
went  away  Dave  noticed  that  her  hand  was  icy 
cold,  and  his  heart  was  deeply  troubled.  Some- 
thing was  certainly  wrong  and,  though  he  felt 
sorry,  he  also  felt  nettled  to  think  Jessie  would  not 
tell  him  what  it  was.  It  was  the  first  break  of 
confidence  that  had  occurred  between  them. 

Although  Dave  was  morally  certain  Link  Mer- 
well  had  "  doctored  "  the  chairs  and  the  table,  he 
could  not  prove  it,  and  so  he  said  little  concern- 
ing the  episode,  although  he  and  Plum  talked  it 
over  thoroughly.  Gus  was  greatly  angered,  for 
the  trick  had  come  close  to  spoiling  the  playlet, 
and  if  Dave  had  urged  it  he  would  have  gone  and 
fought  Merwell  before  retiring  for  the  night. 
Even  as  it  was,  he  told  Merwell  that  he  had  been 
found  out  and  warned  him  in  the  future  to  keep 
his  distance. 

"  Dave  Porter  and  I  are  going  to  watch  you," 
said  Gus.  "  And  if  we  find  you  trying  anything 
more  on,  why,  we'll  jump  on  you  like  a  ton  of 
bricks,  so  beware!  "  And  for  once  Link  Merwell 
was  so  scared  that  he  walked  off  without  making 
any  reply. 

The  entertainment  the  students  had  given 
brought  the  spring  holidays  to  an  end,  and  once 
more  the  lads  of  Oak  Hall  turned  their  attention 
to  their  studies.  But  with  the  coming  of  warm 
weather  some  of  the  boys  got  out  their  kites,  balls, 


\ 


214    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

and  other  things,  while  others  took  to  rowing  on 
the  river. 

11  Have  you  heard  the  news  about  Nat  Poole?  " 
asked  Buster  of  Dave  and  Roger  one  day. 

"  I've  heard  nothing,"  answered  the  senator's 
son.  "Has  he  got  a  new  necktie?"  For  Nat 
loved  neckties  and  had  a  new  one  on  an  average 
every  week. 

"  He  is  going  to  get  a  motor  boat — told  Mess- 
mer  all  about  it.  He  said  his  father  bought  it  in 
New  York  and  it  cost  four  hundred  dollars." 

"  Well,  I  never  supposed  Aaron  Poole  would 
spend  that  amount  on  a  boat,"  was  Dave's  com- 
ment. "  He  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  close- 
fisted  men  in  the  district  where  I  come  from." 

"  Nat  says  the  boat  will  beat  anything  on  the 
river,"  continued  Buster.     "  Wish  I  had  one." 

The  news  that  Nat  Poole  was  going  to  get  a 
motor  boat  proved  true.  The  boat  came  early  in 
April,  and  was  certainly  very  nice-looking  and 
speedy.  Nat  took  out  some  of  the  boys,  and  the 
ownership  of  such  a  beautiful  craft  made  him  a 
new  lot  of  friends,  so  he  was  "  quite  a  toad  in  a 
puddle,"  as  Ben  Basswood  declared.  Once  Nat 
asked  Ben  to  go  out  with  him,  but  the  latter  de- 
clined, and  then  Nat  took  Link  Merwell. 

"  I  don't  care  if  he  has  got  a  new  motor  boat," 
said  Ben  to  Dave.  "  I  don't  want  to  be  in  his  com- 
pany.    If  any  of  the  other  fellows  want  to  toady 


FORMING  THE  BASEBALL  CLUB      215 

to  him  they  can  do  it."  Merwell  was  often  seen 
with  Poole,  and  the  pair  became  quite  expert  in 
running  the  motor  and  steering.  Once  they  had  a 
race  with  a  motor  boat  belonging  to  a  Military 
Academy  student  and  came  in  ahead,  and  of  this 
victory  Nat  Poole  never  got  through  boasting. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  warm  weather  brought 
on  talk  of  baseball.  Dave  had  pitched  in  more 
than  one  game  for  Oak  Hall,  with  Roger  behind 
the  bat,  and  he  was  asked  if  he  would  again  con- 
sent to  occupy  the  box  for  the  school,  should  any 
outside  party  send  in  a  challenge. 

"  We'll  most  likely  get  a  challenge  from  Rock- 
ville  Military  Academy,"  said  Phil.  "  They  are 
aching  to  make  up  for  old  scores." 

"  I'll  pitch  if  the  fellows  want  me  to,"  an- 
swered Dave.  u  But  if  they  want  anybody 
else " 

"  We  want  you,"  interrupted  Sam  Day. 
"  You're  the  best  pitcher  Oak  Hall  ever  had." 

From  that  time  on  all  of  the  boys  put  in  part 
of  their  off-time  playing  baseball,  forming  scrub 
nines  for  that  purpose.  Link  Merwell  loved  the 
game  and  liked  to  cover  first  base. 

"Why  don't  you  play?"  asked  Dave  of  Gus 
Plum,  one  afternoon. 

"  Oh,  I — I  don't  want  to  push  myself  in,"  stam- 
mered Plum.  He  was  now  as  retiring  as  he  had 
formerly  been  aggressive. 


216    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Come  on  out,"  went  on  Dave,  and  literally 
dragged  him  forth.  Then  he  asked  Gus  to  play 
first  base,  which  the  latter  did  in  a  manner  that 
surprised  many  of  the  others. 

"  He's  quicker  than  he  used  to  be,"  was  Phil's 
comment.  "  I  rather  think  he'll  make  a  good  one 
if  he  keeps  on  practicing." 

One  Saturday  afternoon  a  regular  match  was 
arranged,  with  Phil  as  captain  on  one  side  and  a 
student  named  Grassman  as  captain  on  the  other. 
Now,  Grassman  loved  to  go  out  in  Nat's  motor 
boat  and  so  he  put  both  Nat  and  Merwell  on  his 
nine — the  former  to  cover  third  base  and  the  latter 
first.  He  himself  pitched,  while  Dave  filled  the 
box  for  Phil. 

It  was  certainly  a  snappy  game  from  the  start 
and  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  inning  the  score  stood 
three  to  three.  .Then  Grassman's  nine  "  took  a 
brace  "  and  brought  in  two  more  runs,  and  thus 
the  score  remained  five  to  three  until  the  end  of 
the  seventh  inning. 

"  Come,  we  must  do  something  this  trip !  "  cried 
Roger,  who  was  on  Phil's  side,  and  he  knocked 
a  three-bagger.  He  was  followed  by  Shadow 
with  a  single  that  brought  in  one  run,  and  then 
came  Buster  with  a  hit  that  took  him  to  second 
and  brought  in  another  run.  The  next  man  to 
bat  knocked  a  liner  to  shortstop.  The  ball  was 
sent  over  to  Merwell  on  first,  but  he  allowed  it 


FORMING  THE  BASEBALL  CLUB      217 

to  slip  through  his  fingers,  and  another  run  came 
in.  Then  Merwell  muffed  a  pop  fly,  and  after  that 
the  Grassman  nine  got  rattled,  so  that  when  Phil's 
nine  retired  they  had  ten  runs  to  their  credit.  To 
this  they  added  three  more  runs  in  the  ninth.  In 
that  inning  Dave  struck  out  two  men  and  sent  a 
third  out  on  a  foul ;  and  thus  the  game  ended  with 
a  score  of  thirteen  to  five  in  favor  of  Phil's  aggre- 
gation of  players. 

"  Hurrah  for  Phil  Lawrence's  nine !  "  called 
out  little  Frank  Bond,  and  a  great  cheer  went  up. 
Dave  was  complimented  for  his  pitching  and  Gus 
Plum  also  received  much  praise  for  catching  a 
hot  liner  ten  feet  away  from  the  base. 

On  the  following  Saturday  the  Oak  Hall  Base- 
ball Club  was  formally  organized  for  the  season, 
by  the  election  of  Phil  as  president  and  manager, 
Ben  Basswood  as  secretary,  and.  Shadow  as'  treas- 
urer. It  was  voted  to  make  the  manager  captain 
of  the  nine.  After  much  talking  Dave  was  de- 
clared the  choice  for  pitcher  and  Roger  for 
catcher,  while,  to  the  surprise  of  some,  Gus  Plum 
was  made  first  baseman,  something  that  greatly 
pleased  the  big  youth.  Merwell  wanted  to  be  first 
baseman,  but  he  was  not  even  chosen  as  a  substi- 
tute, much  to  his  disgust.  Nat  Poole  was  also  left 
in  the  cold,  but  this  did  not  worry  him  so  much, 
for  he  preferred  to  dress  in  style  and  lounge 
around,   rather  than   go   in   for  anything  which 


218    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

might  dirty  his  hands  or  make  them  callous. 
When  he  ran  his  motor  boat  he  always  wore 
gloves. 

"  It's  an  awful  shame  they  put  Gus  Plum  on 
the  nine,"  said  Nat  Poole  to  Merwell.  "You 
ought  to  have  that  position — you  can  cover  first 
base  better  than  he  can." 

"  I  know  it — but  it's  all  the  work  of  Porter, 
Lawrence,  and  that  crowd,"  growled  Link  Mer- 
well. "  As  long  as  Plum  will  only  toady  to  them 
they  are  willing  to  do  anything  for  him.  It  makes 
me  sick."  And  he  began  to  puff  away  vigorously 
on  a  cigarette  he  was  smoking. 

"  Well,  maybe,  if  they  play  Rockville  or  some 
other  club,  they'll  lose,"  said  Poole.  "  Then 
they'll  be  sorry  they  didn't  put  on  some  better 
players." 

The  baseball  club  soon  got  more  challenges  than 
they  had  expected.  One  came  from  Rockville 
Military  Academy,  for  a  series  of  three  games,  to 
be  played  during  June,  and  two  others  from  clubs 
belonging  to  Oakdale.  The  latter  were  for  single 
games,  and,  after  some  consultation,  all  of  the  chal- 
lenges were  accepted. 

The  games  with  the  Oakdale  clubs  were  played 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  where  a  field  had 
been  inclosed  and  a  grand  stand  erected.  The 
first  was  with  an  aggregation  known  as  the  Comets, 
and  resulted  in  a  tie — 8  to  8. 


FORMING  THE  BASEBALL  CLUB       219 

"  Well,  we  can't  complain  about  that,"  was 
Dave's  comment.     "  They  were  all  big  fellows." 

"  Yes,  and  two  of  them  have  played  on  college 
nines,"  said  Shadow.  "  We  were  lucky  to  hold 
them  to  a  tie;"  and  in  this  opinion  many  of  the 
others  agreed,  and  so  did  Mr.  Dale  and  Doctor 
Clay,  both  of  whom  were  present.  Job  Haskers 
never  went  to  games  of  any  sort,  for  he  considered 
athletic  contests  a  waste  of  time  and  muscle. 

Vera  Rockwell  and  Mary  Feversham  were  at 
the  game,  and  after  the  contest  was  over,  Phil 
went  to  talk  with  them,  taking  Dave  with  him. 
While  the  girls  were  asking  some  questions,  Roger 
came  up,  to  speak  to  Vera.  He  did  not  see  Dave 
at  once,  but  when  he  did  his  face  fell,  and  merely 
raising  his  cap  he  passed  on. 

"  Oh,  I  thought  Mr.  Morr  was  going  to  stop," 
said  Vera,  pouting.  "  I  wanted  to  tell  him  how 
nicely  he  did  the  catching." 

Phil  and  Dave  remained  with  the  girls  until  it 
was  time  to  return  to  the  school.  Then  they 
learned  that  Roger  had  gone  to  Oak  Hall  in  com- 
pany with  Chip  Macklin. 

"  It's  queer  he  didn't  wait  for  the  crowd,"  was 
Dave's  comment. 

"  He's  acted  queer  half  a  dozen  times  lately," 
returned  the  shipowner's  son.  "  I  don't  under- 
stand it  myself." 

The  next  game  was  to  take  place  on  the  follow- 


220    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

ing  Saturday,  and  the  students  practiced  several 
times  during  the  week.  Dave  noticed  that  Roger 
took  but  little  interest,  yet  he  said  nothing,  until  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  speak  up. 

"  Roger,  what's  wrong?"  he  asked,  very  much 
in  the  way  he  had  put  that  question  to  Jessie. 

"  Nothing,  that  I  know  of,"  grumbled  the  sena- 
tor's son. 

"  You're  not  catching  as  well  as  you  did." 

"  Perhaps  you  think  the  club  ought  to  have  an- 
other catcher!  "  flared  up  the  other,  suddenly.  "  If 
you  do,  say  the  word,  and  I'll  step  down  and  out." 

"  Now,  Roger,  I  know  something  is  wrong " 

began  Dave. 

"  Of  course  you  know — and  I  know,  too !  "  cried 
the  senator's  son,  and  now  his  cheeks  grew  crim- 
son. "  I  guess  I'll  resign  from  the  club — and  then 
you  can  run  things  to  suit  yourself,"  and  to  Dave's 
amazement  he  walked  out  of  the  room,  banging 
the  door  after  him. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

A  GREAT  VICTORY 

Dave  was  much  downcast  over  the  way  Roger 
acted,  the  more  so  because  he  could  not  understand 
it.  He  had  half  a  mind  to  go  after  the  senators 
son  and  demand  an  explanation,  but  after  thinking 
the  matter  over  concluded  that  it  would  do  no 
good. 

"  He'll  only  get  more  angry,"  he  reasoned. 
"  Perhaps  it  will  be  better  to  speak  to  Phil  about 
it." 

But,  much  to  his  surprise,  when  he  saw  the  ship- 
owner's son,  Phil  had  also  had  a  "  scene "  with 
Roger,  and  the  latter  had  said  he  was  going  to 
resign  from  the  baseball  club  and  devote  himself 
strictly  to  his  studies. 

"  I  am  sure  it  isn't  his  studies  that  are  bothering 
him,"  said  Phil.  "  He  can  go  right  ahead  with  his 
lessons  and  play  baseball,  too — if  he  wants  to." 

"  Well,  but  why  is  he  angry  at  me?  "  demanded 
Dave. 

"  I  don't  know."     Phil  paused  for  a  moment. 


222     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Perhaps — but,  pshaw !  what's  the  use  of  men- 
tioning that.     I  know  there  is  nothing  in  it." 

"What,  Phil?" 

"  I  don't  think  I  ought  to  say  anything — I  know 
it's  absurd,  Dave." 

"What  is  absurd?" 

"  Why — er — that  is,  you  know  Roger  thinks  a 
lot  of  Vera  Rockwell,  don't  you?" 

"  Does  he?  I  hadn't  noticed  it  particularly — 
in  fact,  I  thought  he  treated  her  rather  coolly  the 
day  we  played  the  game  with  the  Comets." 

"  That  was  because  you  were  around." 

"  Because  I  was  around?  "  repeated  Dave,  in  a 
puzzled  way. 

"Exactly." 

"  I  don't  catch  your  meaning,  Phil." 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  are  so  thick,  Dave." 

"Am  I  thick?" 

"  You  are." 

"  Well,  then,  tell  me  what  you  mean." 

"  Didn't  I  just  say  that  Roger  thought  a  whole 
lot  of  Vera  Rockwell?" 

"Well?" 

"And  weren't  you  with  Vera,  Mary,  and  my- 
self after  the  game?" 

"  Yes,  but " 

"  When  Roger  saw  you  talking  to  Vera,  he 
walked  away  in  the  coldest  manner  possible." 

"Oh,  but,  Phil,  that  is  absurd.     Hadn't  I  a 


A  GREAT  VICTORY  223 

right  to  talk  to  Vera?     I  am  sure  she  is  a  nice 

girl." 

II  So  she  is — a  very  nice  girl — we  think  so — 
and  so  does  Roger." 

"  And  do  you  seriously  think  that  Roger  doesn't 
like  it  because  I  made  myself  agreeable  to 
Vera?" 

"  I  guess  he  thinks  you  ought  to  give  him  a 
show.  He  has  never  said  anything,  but  I  imagine 
that  is  what  he  thinks,"  concluded  Phil;  and  the 
conversation  came  to  an  end  as  some  of  the  other 
students  put  in  an  appearance. 

This  talk  set  Dave  to  thinking  in  more  ways 
than  one.  He  remembered  several  incidents  now 
concerning  Roger  and  Vera,  and  he  also  remem- 
bered how  Jessie  had  acted  during  her  visit  to  the 
school.  Was  it  possible  that  Jessie,  too,  had  felt 
offended  over  the  manner  of  his  friendliness  to 
Vera? 

II I  treated  her  only  as  a  friend — and  I  have  a 
right  to  do  that,"  Dave  reasoned.  "  Roger  has  no 
right  to  be  jealous — nor  has  Jessie."  He  felt 
so  hurt  that  his  pride  rebelled,  and  for  two  days 
he  said  hardly  a  word  to  the  senator's  son.  The 
break  between  the  two  threatened  to  become  per- 
manent. 

But  Roger  did  not  resign  from  the  baseball 
club.  He  mentioned  it  to  Ben,  Shadow,  and  some 
of  the  others,  but  they  protested  so  strongly  he 


224    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

had  to  remain  as  catcher.  In  order  to  do  this, 
he  had  to  consult  with  Dave,  but  the  consultations 
were  confined  entirely  to  pitching  and  catching. 
Roger  was  not  at  all  like  himself,  and  his  irrita- 
tion arose  at  the  slightest  provocation. 

On  the  following  Saturday  the  Oak  Hall  nine 
played  the  Oakdale  Resolutes,  on  the  town 
grounds.  As  before,  a  large  crowd  assembled, 
including  some  of  the  cadets  from  Rockville,  who 
were  to  open  their  series  with  Oak  Hall  the  week 
following.  From  Phil,  Dave  learned  that  Mary 
Feversham  and  Vera  Rockwell  were  to  be  present. 

11  All  right,  Phil,  go  and  do  the  honors,"  said 
Dave.  "  I  am  going  to  attend  strictly  to  pitching 
to-day." 

11  Going  to  leave  the  field  to  Roger,  eh?" 

"  You  may  put  it  that  way  if  you  wish." 

"  Shall  I  tell  the  girls  you  don't  want  to  speak 
to  them?" 

"  If  you  do,  Phil,  I'll  hit  you  in  the  head  with 
the  ball,  the  first  chance  I  get,"  was  Dave's  reply, 
half  in  jest  and  half  in  earnest. 

The  Oakdale  Resolutes  were  made  up  of  young 
men  who  had  played  baseball  for  several  years. 
In  the  past  they  had  not  cared  to  play  "  a  boys' 
school,"  as  they  designated  Oak  Hall.  But  since 
the  past  summer  they  had  come  to  respect  the 
Hall,  and  they  had  been  forced  into  the  game  by 
friends  who  had  said  they  were  afraid  to  play  our 


A  GREAT  VICTORY  225 

friends.  They  had  a  great  pitcher  named  Gilroy 
and  a  catcher  named  Barwenk,  and  they  relied  on 
these  two  players  to  "wipe  up  the  ball-field,"  as 
they  put  it,  with  Oak  Hall. 

During  the  first  four  innings  honors  were  about 
even,  each  side  bringing  in  two  runs.  Then  the 
nines  began  to  see-saw,  first  one  being  ahead  and 
then  the  other,  until  at  the  end  of  the  eighth  in- 
ning the  score  stood  Oak  Hall  7,  Resolutes  6.  So 
far  Dave  had  struck  out  five  players  and  Gilroy 
had  the  same  number  to  his  credit.  But  Gilroy 
had  made  one  wild  pitch,  which  had  brought  in 
Oak  Hall's  fifth  run. 

"  Now,  Dave,  see  if  you  can't  hold  'em  down  to 
a  goose  egg,"  said  Shadow,  as  the  other  club  went 
to  the  bat  for  the  last  time. 

"  I'll  do  what  I  can,"  was  the  reply. 

Dave  was  on  his  mettle,  and  so  for  the  matter 
of  that  was  every  other  Oak  Hall  player.  But 
some  were  a  bit  nervous,  and  as  a  consequence  one 
missed  a  grounder  and  another  let  drop  a  hot  liner. 
The  Resolutes  got  three  men  on  bases,  and  then, 
with  one  man  out,  they  got  in  two  runs. 

"  Hurrah !  That  gives  the  Resolutes  eight 
runs !  "  was  the  cry,  and  the  town  rooters  cheered 
lustily. 

Dave  did  his  best  to  strike  the  next  man  out. 
But  with  two  balls  and  one  strike  he  sent  in  a  ball 
that  was  just  a  little  wild,  and  strange  to  say,  Roger 


226    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

muffed  it.  Then  the  man  on  third  came  in,  giv- 
ing the  Resolutes  another  run. 

"Another!  That  makes  the  score  seven  to 
nine!" 

"  That  was  a  wild  pitch." 

"  Not  so  wild  but  that  the  catcher  might  have 
got  it  if  he  had  tried." 

"  Steady  there,  Roger!  "  called  out  some  of  the 
Oak  Hall  boys. 

"  It  wasn't  my  fault — the  ball  was  out  of  my 
reach,"  grumbled  the  senator's  son. 

A  quick  retort  arose  to  Dave's  lips,  but  he 
checked  it.  He  did  not  wish  to  make  his  quarrel 
with  Roger  any  worse.  He  walked  back  to  the 
pitcher's  box  and  signed  to  Roger  for  a  drop  ball. 
Roger  did  not  answer  at  once  and  he  waited  a  few 
seconds  and  repeated  the  sign. 

"  Play  ball !  "  was  the  cry.  "  Don't  wait  all 
day,  Porter."  Then  the  senator's  son  signed  back 
and  Dave  sent  in  the  ball  with  precision.  The 
batsman  swung  for  it,  and  missed  it. 

"  Strike  two !  "  called  out  the  umpire. 

Dave  next  signed  for  an  out  curve.  It  was  now 
three  balls  and  two  strikes  and  the  next  delivery 
would  "  tell  the  tale."  In  came  the  ball  with  great 
swiftness,  and  again  the  batsman  tried  to  connect 
with  it — and  failed. 

"  Three  strikes — batter  out !  " 

"  Hurrah,  Porter  struck  him  out,  after  all  I  " 


A  GREAT  VICTORY  227 

"  Now  go  for  the  third  man,  Dave !  " 

"  Lessinger  is  at  the  bat.  He  ought  to  lift  it 
over  the  back  fence." 

Lessinger  was  a  heavy  batter,  yet  twice  he  failed 
in  his  attempt  to  hit  the  sphere.  But  the  third 
time  he  knocked  a  low  fly  to  center.  It  was  easily 
caught, — and  the  Resolutes  went  out  with  the  score 
standing  9  to  7  in  their  favor. 

"  Now,  fellows,  we  must  do  our  best,"  said  Phil. 
"  Don't  hit  at  the  ball  until  you  get  a  good  one, 
and  then  lift  it  clear  over  Hamden's  stables  if  you 
can."  The  stables  were  two  blocks  away,  and  a 
ball  sent  a  quarter  of  that  distance  meant  a  home 
run. 

Shadow  was  first  to  the  bat  and  got  safely  to 
first.  Then  came  Gus  Plum,  and  to  the  wonder  of 
many  he  hit  the  ball  for  a  two-bagger,  bringing 
Shadow  in.  Then  Dave  got  to  first  while  Plum 
went  to  third.  Next  came  an  out,  and  then  a  hit 
by  Ben  Basswood  took  Dave  to  third  and  brought 
Plum  home. 

The  Oak  Hall  rooters  were  now  cheering  and 
yelling  like  mad,  and  this  got  the  Resolute  pitcher 
rattled  and  he  gave  the  next  batsman  his  base  on 
balls.  Then  came  another  safe  hit  by  Buster 
Beggs,  and  the  game  ended  with  the  score  stand- 
ing, Oak  Hall  10,  Resolutes  9. 

"Hurrah,  Oak  Hall  wins !  " 

"  That's  a  close  finish  right  enough,  isn't  it?  " 


228     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

The  cheering  by  the  Oak  Hall  adherents  was 
tremendous,  while  the  Resolute  followers  had  little 
to  say.  Many  came  to  congratulate  Dave  on  his 
excellent  pitching  and  others  congratulated  Roger 
on  his  catching.  The  other  players  were  likewise 
remembered,  even  Plum  coming  in  for  many 
handshakes  and  thumps  on  the  shoulder. 

In  the  crowd  Dave  saw  Vera  and  Mary,  and 
spoke  to  them  for  a  minute  or  two.  Both  girls 
thought  the  game  the  best  they  had  ever 
seen. 

"  Oh,  I  think  your  pitching  was  superb!  "  cried 
Vera,  enthusiastically.  "  I  hope  you  do  as  well 
when  you  play  Rockville." 

"  I'll  do  my  best,"  answered  Dave,  and  then 
turned  to  rejoin  some  of  his  fellow-players.  He 
came  face  to  face  with  Roger  and  was  about  to 
speak,  when  the  senator's  son  turned  his  head  the 
other  way  and  passed  on. 

The  club  members  had  come  to  Oakdale  in  the 
carryall  and  a  carriage,  and  they  returned  to  the 
school  in  these  turnouts.  Dave  and  Phil  looked 
for  Roger,  but  he  was  not  to  be  found.  Phil,  as 
captain  of  the  club,  had  had  so  many  details  to 
look  after  that  he  had  not  gotten  time  to  speak 
to  Mary,  much  to  his  disappointment.  But  she 
had  waved  her  hand  to  him  and  smiled,  which  was 
one  consolation. 

Link  Merwell  and  Nat  Poole  had  predicted  de- 


A  GREAT  VICTORY  229 

feat  for  Oak  Hall,  and  when  instead  a  victory  was 
gained  this  pair  did  not  know  what  to  say. 

"  I  reckon  it  was  a  fluke,"  was  Merwell's  com- 
ment. "  They  couldn't  do  it  again  in  a  hundred 
years.  Must  have  been  something  wrong  with  the 
Resolute  players." 

11 1  heard  their  pitcher  had  a  sore  arm,  and  they 
had  a  substitute  first  baseman,"  said  Nat  Poole. 
11  That  would  make  a  big  difference." 

"  I  hope  Rockville  Military  Academy  does  'em 
up  brown,"  went  on  Link  Merwell.  The  thought 
of  having  the  honor  to  stand  up  for  his  own  school 
never  entered  his  head. 

"  So  do  I,  Link.  It  will  take  some  of  the  con- 
ceit out  of  Porter  and  his  crowd.  As  pitcher 
Porter,  of  course,  thinks  he  is  the  whole  thing." 

"  Say,  did  you  notice  how  cold  Porter  and  Morr 
are  getting  toward  each  other?  "  And  Link  Mer- 
well chuckled  gleefully. 

"  Yes.  I  guess  they  are  stirred  up  over  that  girl 
right  now." 

"You  bet!  And  maybe  they'll  be  stirred  up 
some  more  before  I  am  done  with  them." 

On  the  following  Thursday  afternoon,  Dave, 
Phil,  and  Plum  went  out  for  a  row  on  the  river. 
It  was  a  beautiful  day,  clear  and  warm,  and  the 
three  got  out  a  boat  with  two  pairs  of  oars  and  a 
rudder,  so  that  all  might  have  a  share  in  handling 
the  craft  at  the  same  time. 


230    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Let  us  row  down  to  Bush  Island,"  suggested 
Plum,  naming  an  island  about  two  miles  away, 
which  took  its  name  from  a  patch  of  huckleberry 
bushes  growing  there.  It  was  a  pleasant  spot,  and 
one  end  of  the  island  was  occasionally  used  by  the 
folks  of  Oakdale  for  picnic  grounds. 

"  That  suits  me,"  answered  Dave,  and  soon  the 
three  boys  were  off,  never  dreaming  of  what  this 
little  trip  was  destined  to  bring  forth. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

ON  BUSH   ISLAND 

The  three  boys  had  covered  less  than  a  third 
of  the  distance  to  Bush  Island  when  they  passed 
two  rowboats,  one  containing  Roger,  Ben,  and 
two  others,  and  another  containing  Doctor  Clay 
and  Andrew  Dale. 

"  Hello !  lots  of  folks  but  this  afternoon,"  was 
Phil's  comment. 

"  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  seen  the  doctor 
and  Mr.  Dale  out,"  said  Dave.  "  They  row  very 
well,  don't  they?" 

"  The  doctor  was  once  a  college  oarsman,"  put 
in  Plum.  "  I  suppose  he  likes  to  get  out  here  for 
the  sake  of  old  times." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Dale  pulls  as  well  as  he  does,"  re- 
turned Dave.  "  Both  of  them  pull  a  perfect 
stroke." 

"Wonder  if  old  Haskers  ever  rows?"  mused 
Phil. 

"  Guess  he  doesn't  do  much  of  anything  but 
teach  and  find  fault,"  grumbled  Gus  Plum. 

The  craft  containing  the  doctor  and  the  first  as- 
231 


232    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

sistant  was  heading  for  the  east  shore  of  the  river 
and  was  soon  out  of  sight  around  a  point  of  rocks. 
The  other  boat  had  turned  around,  so  the  boys 
did  not  have  a  chance  to  speak  to  their  fellow- 
students. 

"  Here  comes  a  motor  boat !  "  cried  Dave,  as 
a  steady  put-put!  reached  his  ears. 

"  It's  Nat  Poole's  boat,"  said  Phil  as  the  craft 
came  into  view. 

Soon  the  motor  boat  came  close  to  them  and 
they  saw  that  Poole  and  Merwell  were  on  board. 
The  pair  were  smoking,  as  usual,  but  placed  their 
cigarettes  on  the  seats,  out  of  sight. 

"  Where  are  you  going?  "  demanded  Nat  Poole, 
abruptly. 

"  Rowing,"  answered  Phil,  dryly. 

"  Humph !  Don't  you  wish  you  had  this  motor 
boat?" 

"  Not  particularly." 

"A  motor  boat  beats  a  rowboat  all  hollow," 
went  on  the  dudish  student. 

"  Not  for  rowing,"  vouchsafed  Dave. 

"  Well,  you  can  row  if  you  want  to,"  sneered 
Poole.  "  I  prefer  to  let  the  motor  do  the  work," 
and  then  he  steered  away,  giving  the  rowboat  all 
the  wash  possible  as  he  passed. 

"Wonder  where  they  are  going?"  said  Link 
Merwell,  as  he  looked  back  to  see  if  the  row- 
boat  had  shipped  any  water  from  the  wash. 


"  Well,  you  can  bow  if  you  want  to,"  sneered  Poole. 
Page  232. 


ON  BUSH  ISLAND  233 

"  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure." 

"  Perhaps  they'll  land  somewhere.  If  they  do, 
we  can  play  a  trick  on  'em,  Nat." 

"How?" 

"  By  taking  their  rowboat  when  they  are  out  of 
sight.  We  can  easily  tie  the  boat  on  behind  and 
tow  it  to  the  boathouse.  Then  those  fellows  would 
have  to  walk  back  to  Oak  Hall." 

"Good!  That  would  be  great!"  ejaculated 
Nat  Poole.  "  I  wish  they  would  land  and  leave 
the  boat  to  itself  for  a  while." 

"  Let  us  watch  'em,"  suggested  Merwell,  and 
to  this  his  crony  readily  agreed. 

It  did  not  take  Dave  and  his  friends  long  to 
reach  Bush  Island.  Beaching  the  rowboat,  they 
went  ashore  and  took  a  walk  around. 

"  It  certainly  is  a  nice  spot  for  a  picnic,"  was 
Phil's  comment.  "  I  don't  wonder  that  the  town 
folks  come  here — and  the  Sunday  schools.  I'd 
like  to  have  a  picnic  myself  here — when  it  gets  a 
little  warmer." 

"  We  might  come  over  some  holiday — and  bring 
a  basket  of  grub  along,"  said  Plum. 

"  Oh,  we'd  have  to  have  something  good  to 
eat,"  put  in  Dave.  "  That's  three-quarters  of  the 
fun." 

Much  to  their  surprise,  in  walking  to  the  center 
of  the  island,  they  ran  into  Doctor  Clay  and  Mr. 
Dale.    Both  had  some  bits  of  rocks  in  their  hands 


234     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

and  the  doctor  had  a  geologist's  hammer  as 
well. 

"Well,  boys,  what  brought  you?"  asked  the 
head  of  the  school,  pleasantly. 

"  Oh,  we  just  stopped  for  fun,"  answered  Dave. 
"  We  didn't  know  you  rowed  so  far." 

"  We  are  knocking  off  a  few  geological  speci- 
mens for  the  school  cabinet,"  answered  Doctor 
Clay.  "  These  are  not  particularly  valuable — 
but  every  little  helps." 

The  boys  remained  with  the  men  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  and  then  walked  back  to  the  shore. 
As  they  did  this,  Dave  suddenly  put  up  his  hand. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Phil  and  Plum,  in  a 
breath. 

"  Thought  I  heard  a  motor  boat." 

"  Perhaps  Nat  Poole's  boat  is  near  the  island," 
suggested  Gus. 

"  Oh,  there  are  a  dozen  motor  boats  on  the  river 
now,"  answered  Phil.  "  There,  I  heard  it,  but  it's 
a  good  distance  off." 

No  more  was  said  about  the  motor  boat,  and 
they  continued  on  their  walk  to  the  shore.  Here 
they  found  their  rowboat  as  they  had  left  it,  and 
entering,  shoved  off,  and  continued  their  row. 
They  went  a  little  further  than  at  first  anticipated, 
and  consequently  had  to  hurry  to  get  back  in  time 
for  supper,  and  even  then  were  the  last  students 
to  enter  the  dining  hall. 


ON  BUSH  ISLAND  235 

As  he  passed  to  his  seat  Dave  had  to  walk  close 
to  Link  Merwell.  When  the  bully  saw  him  he 
started  and  stared  in  amazement.  Then  he  looked 
around  and  stared  at  Phil  and  Gus.  He  leaned 
over  and  spoke  to  Nat  Poole,  who  sat  close  at 
hand. 

"They  are  back!  "  he  whispered. 

"Who?  Porter  and  his  crowd?"  And  now 
the  dudish  pupil  looked  equally  amazed. 

"  Yes, — look  for  yourself." 

Nat  Poole  did  look,  and  his  face  became  a  study. 
As  soon  as  possible  he  and  Merwell  finished  their 
evening  meal  and  went  outdoors. 

"  Somebody  must  have  stopped  at  the  island 
and  taken  them  off,"  said  Merwell,  when  he  felt 
safe  to  speak  without  being  overheard. 

"  I  suppose  that  must  be  it  or  else "     Nat 

Poole  stopped  short  and  turned  pale. 

"Or  what?" 

"  Perhaps  we  took  some  other  boat,  Link !  Oh, 
if  we  did  that,  the  owner  might  have  us  arrested !  " 

"  Nonsense  1  It  was  an  Oak  Hall  boat — I 
looked  to  make  sure,  when  I  tied  it  to  the  motor 
boat." 

"  Let  us  go  down  and  see." 

"  Can't  you  take  my  word  for  it?  "  asked  Mer- 
well, roughly. 

"  Yes.  But  I  want  to  know  just  what  boat  it 
was." 


236     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  If  they  see  you  hanging  around  the  boathouse 
they  may  smell  a  mouse." 

"  I'll  be  careful.  I  have  a  right  to  look  after 
my  motor  boat,  you  know." 

"  That's  so— I  forgot  that." 

The  youths  walked  to  the  boathouse  and,  on  the 
sly,  looked  at  the  craft  they  had  towed  over  from 
Bush  Island.  It  was  certainly  an  Oak  Hall  row- 
boat,  and  Nat  breathed  a  little  sigh  of  relief. 

The  two  lads  were  just  on  the  point  of  leaving 
the  boathouse  when  Job  Haskers  came  in,  followed 
by  a  man  who  took  care  of  the  boats. 

"  Siller  tells  me  you  were  out  in  your  motor  boat 
this  afternoon,"  said  Job  Haskers.  "  Did  you  see 
anything  of  Doctor  Clay  and  Mr.  Dale?" 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Nat  Poole. 

"  Were  they  out  in  a  boat?  "  asked  Merwell. 

"  Yes,  they  went  for  a  row  about  four  o'clock, 
and  they  have  not  yet  got  back.  It  is  strange,  for 
they  said  nothing  about  being  away  for  supper." 

"  Well,  we  didn't  see  them,"  answered  both 
Poole  and  Merwell.  Then  both  left  the  boat- 
house  and  took  their  way  to  the  gymnasium. 

Here,  as  fate  would  have  it,  they  ran  into  Mess- 
mer  and  Henshaw,  who  were  doing  some  turns  on 
the  bars,  in  company  with  Gus  Plum,  who,  since 
his  good  work  on  the  ball-field,  was  becoming  quite 
a  favorite. 

"  I  don't  think  I  can  do  many  turns  to-night," 


ON  BUSH  ISLAND  237 

they  heard  Plum  say.  "lam  tired  out  from  a  row 
Dave  Porter,  Phil  Lawrence,  and  myself  took  to 
Bush  Island." 

"How  did  the  island  look?"  asked  Messmer, 
carelessly. 

"  Very  nice.  We  walked  all  around  it  and  ran 
into  Doctor  Clay  and  Mr.  Dale.  They  were  there 
gathering  geological  specimens." 

"  I'd  like  to  make  a  collection,"  put  in  Llenshaw. 
"  By  the  way,  Mr.  Dale  wasn't  at  supper.  Did 
he  come  home  with  you  ?  " 

"  No,  we  left  him  and  the  doctor  there  knock- 
ing off  the  bits  of  rock,"  answered  Plum. 

Merwell  and  Poole  listened  to  this  conversation 
with  keen  interest.  They  exchanged  glances,  and 
then  the  dudish  pupil  pulled  his  crony  by  the  coat- 
sleeve  and  led  the  way  to  a  lonely  part  of  the 
campus. 

"  Oh,  Link,  do  you  think  we  took  the  doctor's 
boat  by  mistake?"  asked  Poole,  with  something 
akin  to  terror  in  his  tones. 

11  Hush!  not  so  loud!  "  warned  Merwell.  "  If 
we  did,  you  don't  want  to  let  anybody  know  it." 

"  But  what  shall  we  do?  The  doctor  and  Mr. 
Dale  can't  leave  the  island  without  a  boat." 

"  I  know  that.  But  don't  you  say  anything — 
unless  you  want  to  get  into  hot  water." 

"  But  they  may  have  to  stay  there  all  night!  " 
continued  the  thoroughly  frightened  Nat. 


238     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Oh,  I  reckon  somebody  will  come  to  take  them 
off." 

"  Do  you  sup — suppose  they  saw  us  run  away 
with  their  boat?"  Poole  was  now  so  scared  he 
could  scarcely  talk. 

11  No.  We  didn't  see  them,  and  consequently  I 
can't  see  how  they'd  know  us.  But  you  want  to 
keep  mum." 

"  Maybe  somebody  saw  us  bring  in  the  empty 
rowboat." 

"  I  don't  think  so;  nobody  was  around  when 
we  came  in.  Now  you  just  keep  quiet  and  it  will 
be  all  right." 

"If  they  have  to  stay  on  the  island  all  night 
they'll  be  as  mad  as  hornets." 

"  I  don't  care — I'd  like  to  pay  them  both  back 
for  some  of  the  mean  things  they've  done  to  us." 

"  I  don't  know  that  they've  done  any  mean 
thing  to  me,"  answered  Nat  Poole.  He  felt  that 
he  would  give  a  good  deal  not  to  have  touched 
the  rowboat  found  on  the  shore  of  Bush  Island 
tied  to  a  tree.  That  it  had  been  a  craft  used  by 
Doctor  Clay  and  Mr.  Dale  there  was  now  not  the 
slightest  doubt. 

Dave  was  in  the  library  of  the  school,  consult- 
ing a  history  of  Rome,  when  Ben  came  in  with 
news  that  Doctor  Clay  and  Mr.  Dale  were  miss- 
ing. It  was  almost  time  to  go  to  bed  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  students  had  already  retired. 


ON  BUSH  ISLAND  239 

"Missing!"  cried  Dave,  and  put  down  the 
volume  in  his  hands.  "  What  do  you  mean, 
Ben?" 

"  They  are  missing — isn't  that  plain  enough  ? 
They  went  for  a  row  on  the  river  this  afternoon, 
and  they  have  not  come  back." 

"  Why,  we  met  them  at  Bush  Island,"  and 
Dave  explained  the  occurrence.  "  Maybe  I'd  bet- 
ter tell  Haskers,"  he  added,  and  hurried  off. 

He  found  the  assistant  teacher  in  the  office,  con- 
siderably worried.  That  evening  he  and  the  doc- 
tor were  to  have  gone  over  some  school  matters 
that  needed  attention.  The  non-return  of  the  mas- 
ter of  the  Hall  was  therefore  good  cause  for  alarm. 

11  What  do  you  want,  Porter?  "  he  asked,  coldly, 
for  he  had  not  yet  forgotten  the  quarrel  in  that 
very  room  some  months  previous. 

"  I  understand  Doctor  Clay  and  Mr.  Dale  are 
missing,  Mr.  Haskers." 

"Well?" 

"  I  only  wish  to  tell  you  that  Phil  Lawrence, 
Gus  Plum,  and  I  were  out  rowing  this  afternoon 
and  we  went  to  Bush  Island,  and  there  we  met 
the  doctor  and  Mr.  Dale,  who  had  come  in  a 
rowboat." 

11  Indeed!  Did  they  say  anything  about  coming 
back?" 

11  No,  sir.  We  left  them  there,  gathering  geo- 
logical specimens." 


240    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  They  wouldn't  stay  there  unless  there  was  a 
reason  for  it,"  mused  Job  Haskers. 

"  Perhaps  their  boat  sprung  a  leak,  or  some- 
thing like  that." 

"  Ahem  1     Such  a  thing  is  possible." 

"  Would  you  like  some  of  us  to  go  to  the  island 
and  find  out?  " 

"  No.     If  I  want  that  done  I  can  send  Siller." 

"  You  might  go  to  the  island  in  Poole's  motor 
boat.     She  could  make  the  trip  in  no  time." 

"  I'll  think  of  it,"  answered  Job  Haskers, 
shortly.  He  did  not  wish  to  give  Dave  any  credit 
for  the  suggestion. 

Nevertheless,  he  acted  on  the  advice,  and  less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  with  the  search- 
light on,  the  motor  boat  left  the  school  dock,  carry- 
ing on  board  Nat  Poole,  Siller,  and  Job  Haskers. 
Poole  was  badly  frightened,  fearing  that  what  he 
and  Merwell  had  done  would  be  found  out. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

WHAT  AN  AUTOMOBILE  DID 

"  Dave  Porter,  Doctor  Clay  wishes  to  see  you 
in  his  private  office  immediately." 

It  was  Murphy  the  monitor  who  spoke,  and  he 
addressed  Dave  just  as  the  latter  was  getting 
ready  to  retire  for  the  night.  He  had  already 
called  Phil  and  Gus  Plum. 

"What  does  he  want,  Jim?"  questioned  Dave. 

"  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure.  He  and  Mr.  Dale 
just  came  in,  and  he  is  as  mad  as  a  hornet." 

Without  delay  Dave  put  on  the  coat  he  had 
taken  off,  and  went  below,  accompanied  by  Phil 
and  Gus.  The  door  to  the  private  office  stood 
open  and  inside  were  the  master  of  Oak  Hall,  Mr. 
Dale,  and  Job  Haskers. 

11  Come  in,  young  gentlemen,"  said  the  doctor, 
somewhat  grimly.  "  I  want  to  ask  you  a  few 
questions." 

They  walked  in  and  stood  in  a  row,  facing  the 
master.  Certainly  Doctor  Clay  was  angry,  and 
Andrew  Dale  looked  far  from  pleased. 

"  All  of  you  were  on  Bush  Island  this  after- 
241 


242     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

noon,"  went  on  Doctor  Clay.  "  When  you  went 
away,  did  you  do  anything  to  the  rowboat  that 
Mr.  Dale  and  myself  took  there?" 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Dave,  promptly. 

"  We  didn't  see  your  boat — at  least,  I  didn't," 
answered  Plum. 

11 1  didn't  see  it  either,"  came  from  Phil. 

"  Porter,  did  you  see  the  boat?  " 

"No,  sir." 

"All  of  you  are  positive  of  this?"  went  on 
the  master  of  the  school,  sternly. 

"  The  only  time  I  saw  the  boat  was  when  you 
and  Mr.  Dale  were  on  the  river  rowing — before 
we  got  to  the  island,"  said  Dave. 

"  That  boat  was  taken  by  somebody.  We  tied 
it  to  a  tree  and  when  we  went  for  it,  it  was  gone. 
We  had  to  remain  on  the  island,  in  the  dark  and 
cold,  until  Mr.  Haskers  came  with  Poole's  motor 
boat  and  took  us  off." 

"Excuse  me,  Doctor,  may  I  ask  a  question?" 
said  Andrew  Dale. 

"  Certainly." 

"  Did  you  boys  see  anybody  else  on  the  island?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  returned  Dave. 

"  Was  anybody  near  there,  so  far  as  you 
know?" 

"  Not  very  near.  We  met  a  number  of  the  fel- 
lows on  the  river,  while  we  were  rowing  toward 
the  island." 


WHAT  AN  AUTOMOBILE  DID         243 

"  Who  were  some  of  those  boys?  "  asked  Doctor 
Clay. 

Dave  remembered  that  one  of  the  boats  had 
contained  Roger,  Ben,  Sam  Day,  and  Messmer, 
and  remained  silent. 

"  Don't  any  of  you  remember  who  were  in  the 
other  boats?  "  asked  the  doctor,  and  his  voice  was 
sharper  than  ever. 

"  Nat  Poole  and  Link  Merwell  were  out  in  the 
motor  boat,"  answered  Phil. 

"  Yes,  I  know  that,  but  both  declare  they  were 
not  near  the  island." 

"  Roger  Morr,  Sam  Day,  and  a  lot  of  others 
were  out,  but  they  were  near  the  boathouse,  and 
I  don't  think  any  of  them  went  near  Bush  Island," 
answered  Gus  Plum. 

11  Well,  somebody  was  there,  and  took  our 
boat,"  said  Doctor  Clay.  "  If  I  find  out  who  was 
guilty  of  the  trick  I  shall  punish  him  severely." 
He  knew  that  many  of  the  boys  would  laugh  be- 
hind his  back,  and  he  hated  to  be  the  butt  of  such 
a  joke. 

After  being  questioned  for  quarter  of  an  hour 
the  boys  were  told  they  could  go,  and  returned  to 
their  dormitory.  Hardly  had  they  left  the  office 
when  Siller,  the  boatman,  came  in. 

"  The  boat  you  had  is  at  the  dock,"  he  an- 
nounced. "  It  was  tied  up  around  a  corner,  where 
I  didn't  see  it  before." 


244     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

u  That  proves  some  boys  from  this  school  took 
it  from  the  island,"  said  the  doctor.  "  Is  the  boat 
all  right?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  looked  her  over,  and  in  the  bottom 
I  found  this  case." 

As  Siller  spoke  he  handed  over  a  small  leather 
case,  which  was  empty  but  smelt  strongly  of 
tobacco. 

"A  cigarette  case!"  cried  the  master  of  the 
school.  "Could  any  pupil  here  have  had  that? 
They  know  that  smoking  is  forbidden."  He 
turned  the  case  over  in  the  light.  "  Here  is  a  let- 
ter painted  on  the  side.     It  is  rather  worn." 

11  It  is  an  M,"  said  Andrew  Dale,  after  an  ex- 
amination. "  Let  me  see,  what  pupils'  names  be- 
gin with  M  ?  "  He  mused  for  a  moment.  "  Mor- 
rison, Morr,  Merwell " 

"  Morrison  went  home  yesterday,  to  be  gone  a 
week.  Merwell  said  the  motor  boat  was  not  near 
the  island,  and  I  certainly  did  not  hear  it." 

"  Plum  just  said  Morr  and  some  others  were  out 
in  a  rowboat,"  added  Andrew  Dale,  quickly. 
"  This  may  be  his  cigarette  case." 

"  We'll  question  him." 

Thereupon  Roger  was  made  to  visit  the  office 
and  put  through  a  course  of  questions.  He  denied 
being  near  Bush  Island  and  also  denied  owning 
the  cigarette  case.  He  felt  angered  to  think  he 
was  suspected  and  answered  the  doctor  so  sharply 


WHAT  AN  AUTOMOBILE  DID         245 

that  he  was  told  to  translate  ten  pages  of  Caesar 
the  next  afternoon — a  task  he  hated.  And  there 
the  whole  matter  rested  for  the  time  being.  Mer- 
well  missed  his  cigarette  case,  sent  to  him  by  a 
friend  for  his  birthday,  and  he  warned  Poole  not 
to  breathe  a  word  about  it. 

"  We  have  told  the  doctor  we  were  not  near  the 
island,"  said  the  bully.  "  Now,  if  he  finds  out 
that  we  were,  he'll  punish  us  severely,  and  maybe 
he'll  expel  us."  This  fairly  terrorized  Nat,  and 
he  wished  he  had  never  seen  Bush  Island  or  listened 
to  Merwell's  plan  to  rob  Dave  and  his  chums  of 
their  rowboat. 

In  some  way  Roger  became  convinced  that  Dave 
was  responsible  for  his  being  hauled  up  before 
Doctor  Clay,  and  as  a  consequence  he  grew  colder 
and  colder  toward  his  former  chum,  something  that 
hurt  Dave  very  much.  Phil,  in  a  roundabout  way, 
tried  to  patch  up  the  matter,  but  Roger  would  not 
listen.  He  spent  his  entire  time  in  company  with 
Shadow,  Buster,  and  some  others,  and  only  spoke 
to  Dave  when  the  baseball  nine  did  its  practicing. 

About  six  miles  from  Oak  Hall  was  a  private 
park  known  as  Hilltop.  This  belonged  to  a  gen- 
tleman named  Richard  Mongrace,  who  had  a 
brother,  a  man  who  had  once  been  a  college  foot- 
ball player,  but  who  was  now  an  invalid  and  could 
not  leave  the  estate.  Mr.  Mongrace  had  a  fine 
field  for  all  sorts  of  outdoor  sports  at  Hilltop,  with 


246     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

a  grand  stand  and  bleachers,  and,  to  please  his 
brother,  he  frequently  invited  local  clubs  to  use  his 
grounds  for  their  contests. 

In  the  past  both  Oak  Hall  and  Rockville  Mili- 
tary Academy  had  played  at  Hilltop,  and  now  they 
had  been  invited  to  do  so  again,  and  it  had  been 
arranged  that  the  baseball  series  should  be  played 
there.  It  may  be  as  well  to  state  here  that  the 
contest  was  to  consist  of  two  games  out  of  a  pos- 
sible three.  If  either  side  won  the  first  two  games 
the  third  was  not  to  be  played. 

The  day  for  the  first  game  proved  cloudy  and 
windy,  yet  the  Oak  Hall  boys  went  to  the  grounds 
in  high  spirits.  Some  went  on  bicycles,  some  in 
the  carryall,  and  a  few  walked,  just  for  the  exer- 
cise. 

Dave  was  in  the  carryall,  along  with  Phil, 
Shadow,  and  ten  others.  They  were  a  jolly  crowd, 
and  as  the  turnout  bowled  along  over  the  road 
they  sang,  gave  the  school  yell,  and  cut  up  gener- 
ally. The  athletic  yell  was  very  popular,  as 
follows : 

"Baseball! 
Football! 
Oak  Hall! 
Has  the  call! 
Biff!    Boom!    Bang!    Whoop!" 

"  This  is  the  day  we  rip  Rockville  up  the 
back !  "  cried  one  of  the  students. 


WHAT  AN  AUTOMOBILE  DID         247 

"  And  poke  holes  in  the  sky  with  raps  for  home 
runs,"  added  another. 

"  And  strike  out  three  men  every  inning !  "  cried 
a  third.     "  Dave,  how  is  our  pitcher  to-day?" 

"  Able  to  sit  up  and  eat  pie,"  answered  Dave, 
with  a  smile. 

"  Talking  about  pitchers  puts  me  in  mind  of  a 

little  story  I  heard  yesterday "  began  Shadow. 

"  A  little  girl " 

"  Hello,  Shadow  has  hit  the  story  trail  once 
more !  "  sang  out  Phil.  "  Thought  there  must  be 
something  wrong  with  him.  He  hasn't  told  a 
story  for  an  hour  and  ten  minutes." 

"  He's  thinking  of  all  the  outs  he  is  going  to 
make,"  put  in  Plum,  slyly. 

"  Not  an  out  for  yours  truly,"  returned  the 
story-teller.  "  But  to  get  back  to  the  little  girl. 
Says  she  to  her  papa,  '  Papa,  did  you  say  a  base- 
ball club  has  a  pitcher?'  'Yes,  my  dear,'  says 
papa.  '  Well,  do  they  have  a  sugar-bowl  too?  '  " 
And  at  this  anecdote  the  boys  smiled. 

Jackson  Lemond  was  driving  the  carryall.  He 
had  a  team  of  horses  which  the  doctor  had  pur- 
chased only  a  few  weeks  before.  They  were  a 
mettlesome  pair,  and  the  Hall  driver  did  not  alto- 
gether understand  them.  At  times  they  went  along 
very  well,  but  at  others  they  "  cut  up  simply  aw- 
ful," to  use  Horsehair's  way  of  expressing  it. 

"  Why  don't  you  let  the  team  out,  Horsehair?  " 


248    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

asked  one  of  the  boys,  presently.  "  We  don't 
want  to  take  all  day  to  get  to  Hilltop." 

"  I  hate  to  give  'em  too  much  headway,"  an- 
swered the  driver.  "  The  road  ain't  none  of  the 
best  along  here,  and  there  ain't  no  telling  what 
they  might  do." 

"  We'll  have  to  hurry  some,"  said  Dave.  "  I 
want  some  time  to  warm  up,  and  so  do  the  others." 

"  Maybe  it  will  rain  and  the  game  will  have  to 
be  called  off,"  was  Phil's  comment,  with  an  anxious 
look  at  the  overcast  sky. 

"  Oh,  it's  not  going  to  rain  just  now,"  answered 
Henshaw. 

They  had  just  reached  the  top  of  a  long  hill  and 
were  preparing  to  go  down  the  other  side,  when 
they  heard  a  tooting  behind  them. 

"  Here  comes  an  automobile !  "  cried  Phil,  look- 
ing back. 

"  I  know  that  machine,"  answered  Buster.  "  It 
belongs  to  some  of  the  students  at  Rockville — 
two  cousins,  I  think.  They  brought  it  down  from 
Portland,  Maine,  where  they  come  from." 

"  It  is  full  of  Rockville  fellows,"  said  Sam. 
"  They  want  to  pass  us,"  he  added,  as  the  tooting 
sounded  louder. 

"  It's  a  narrow  road  to  pass  on,"  grumbled 
Horsehair.  "  Whoa,  there !  "  he  cried  to  his  team. 
"Whoa,  I  say!" 

For  the  horses  had  begun  to  prick  up  their  ears 


WHAT  AN  AUTOMOBILE  DID         249 

and  dance  about  at  the  sound  of  the  automobile 
horn. 

"  Clear  the  road,  for  we  are  coming !  "  came  the 
cry  from  behind,  and  then  with  a  tooting  of  the 
horn,  a  puffing  from  the  engine,  and  a  wild  yelling 
from  the  occupants,  the  big  touring  car  shot  past 
the  carryall  with  less  than  three  inches  to  spare, 
and  plunged  down  the  hill  at  a  speed  that  soon 
carried  it  out  of  sight  in  a  cloud  of  dust. 

It  was  enough  to  scare  anybody,  and  the  hearts 
of  some  of  the  boys  beat  wildly  for  the  moment. 

"  That's  taking  a  fearful  risk,"  was  the  com- 
ment of  one  lad.  "  If  they  don't  look  out,  they'll 
break  their  necks." 

There  was  little  time  to  say  more,  for  the  stu- 
dents now  realized  that  Horsehair  was  having  his 
hands  full  with  the  new  team.  One  horse  was 
plunging  with  might  and  main  to  break  away  and 
the  other  was  shying  to  the  left.  Then  came  a 
sudden  snap,  as  a  portion  of  the  harness  gave  way, 
and  the  next  moment  the  carryall  was  sweeping 
down  the  hill  on  the  very  heels  of  the  team  that 
was  running  away. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

A    DEFEAT    FOR    OAK    HALL 

It  was  a  time  of  great  peril  and  all  the  students 
in  the  carryall  realized  it.  With  a  portion  of  the 
harness  broken,  the  driver  could  do  little  or  noth- 
ing to  control  the  team.  They  had  the  bits  in  their 
teeth  and  plunged  down  the  hill  and  over  the  rocks 
in  a  manner  that  sent  the  turnout  swinging  first  to 
one  side  and  then  the  other. 

"We'll  go  over!" 

"  We'll  be  smashed  to  pieces !  " 

"  We'd  better  jump,  if  we  want  to  save  our 
lives !  " 

These  and  many  other  cries  rang  out.  Dave 
and  Ben  were  on  the  front  seat  with  Horsehair, 
but  all  the  others  were  inside,  being  thrown 
around  like  beans  in  a  bag. 

11  Let  them  go !  "  sang  out  Dave.  "  Give  them 
the  middle  of  the  road, — and  put  on  the  brake." 

At  first  the  driver  was  too  scared  to  pay  atten- 
tion to  Dave's  words,  and  the  youth  had  to  lean 
over  and  pull  the  brake  back.  This  all  but  locked 
the  wheels  and  caused  the  carryall  greatly  to  dimin- 

250 


A  DEFEAT  FOR  OAK  HALL  251 

ish  its  speed.  But  the  horses  kept  dancing  and 
plunging  as  madly  as  ever,  and  it  looked  as  if  at 
any  instant  they  might  bring  the  turnout  to  grief 
in  one  or  the  other  of  the  water  gullies  lining  the 
highway. 

"If  you  fellows  want  to  get  off,  drop  out  the 
back  one  at  a  time,"  sang  out  Dave,  when  he  saw 
that  the  brake  was  telling  on  the  speed  of  both 
team  and  carryall. 

"  You  had  better  jump,  too,"  answered  one 
youth,  as  he  prepared  to  do  as  advised. 

"  Not  yet — I  think  the  team  will  stop  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill,"  returned  Dave. 

His  coolness  restored  confidence  to  the  others, 
and  all  remained  in  the  carryall.  Horsehair  had 
tight  hold  of  the  reins,  and  now  began  to  talk 
soothingly  to  the  horses — getting  back  some  of  his 
own  wits.  Then  the  bottom  of  the  hill  was  reached; 
and  after  a  few  minutes  of  work  the  team  was 
brought  down  to  a  walk  and  then  halted.  With- 
out waiting  for  an  invitation,  the  students  leaped 
to  the  ground  and  the  school  driver  did  likewise. 

"  Say,  that  was  surely  a  scare,"  was  Jackson 
Lemond's  comment.  "  I'd  like  to  wring  the  neck 
o'  the  young  rascal  who  is  running  that  auto !  " 

"  He  certainly  had  no  right  to  rush  past  us  as  he 
did,"  replied  Phil.  "  But  how  about  it,  Horse- 
hair; can  you  mend  the  harness?  Remember,  we 
want  to  get  to  Hilltop." 


252     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  I  reckon  I  can  mend  it — I've  got  extry  straps 
and  buckles  under  the  seat." 

Horsehair  set  to  work  and  Dave  and  Plum 
aided  him,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  they  were 
able  to  proceed  on  their  way.  The  driver  now 
kept  the  team  well  in  hand,  and  the  boys  kept  a 
keen  lookout  for  more  automobiles,  but  none 
passed  them. 

"  I've  a  good  mind  to  report  those  chaps  to  the 
constable,"  said  Horsehair,  as  they  neared  Hill- 
top.    "  They  ought  to  be  locked  up." 

"  You'll  be  laughed  at  for  your  pains,"  answered 
Shadow.  "  Let  us  wax  Rockville  at  baseball — 
that  will  be  revenge  enough." 

The  grounds  were  comfortably  filled  at  the  ball- 
field,  and  by  the  time  the  game  started  nearly  every 
seat  was  taken.  In  one  corner  of  the  grand  stand 
was  a  group  of  girls  and  among  them  Mary 
Feversham  and  Vera  Rockwell,  and  they  had  flags 
with  the  initials  O.  H.  on  them. 

"  They  are  going  to  root  for  us,  bless  'em !  " 
cried  Phil,  and  he  waved  his  hand  at  Mary 
and  Vera,  and  Dave  did  likewise.  Roger  pre- 
tended not  to  see  the  girls,  but  hurried  imme- 
diately to  the  dressing-room  to  prepare  for  the 
game. 

It  had  brightened  up  a  little  and  for  a  short 
while  the  sun  came  out.  Promptly  at  three  o'clock 
the  game  started  with  Oak  Hall  at  the  bat.    They 


A  DEFEAT  FOR  OAK  HALL  253 

were  retired  in  one,  two,  three  order,  much  to  the 
delight  of  the  Rockville  contingent. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it!  " 

"  Now  then,  fellows,  show  them  how  you  can 
bat  the  ball!" 

And  then  arose  the  Military  Academy  slogan: 

"Rockville! 
Rockville! 
You'll  get  your  fill 
From  Rockville!" 

Dave  was  certainly  in  the  pink  of  condition  when 
he  walked  down  to  the  pitcher's  box.  Yet,  despite 
his  best  efforts,  one  of  the  Rockville  players 
"  found  him  "  for  a  two-bagger  and  another  for 
a  single,  and  when  the  side  went  out  it  had  two 
runs  to  its  credit. 

Then  what  a  roar  went  up  from  the  Military 
Academy  boys! 

"  That's  the  way  1     Keep  it  up!  " 

"  If  you  make  two  every  inning,  you'll  have 
eighteen  by  the  time  you  finish." 

During  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  innings 
Oak  Hall  did  its  best  to  score,  but  though  two 
players  reached  second  and  one  third,  it  was  not 
to  be.  In  the  meantime  Rockville  got  four  more 
runs,  making  six  in  all. 

"  Six  to  nothing!    That's  going  some !  " 

11  Here  is  where  we  show  Oak  Hall  what  we  can 
do!" 


254    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Phil  was  very  much  worried  and  came  to  talk 
the  matter  over  with  Dave. 

"  Dave,  can't  you  strike  some  more  of  'em  out?  " 
he  asked.  So  far  the  pitcher  had  struck  out  two 
men. 

"  I'm  doing  my  best,  Phil.  They  seem  to  be 
good  hitters  and  no  mistake.  If  you  want  to  try 
somebody  else  in  my  place " 

"  No,  no,  Dave !  Only  I'd  like  to  keep  down 
that  score.     Do  your  best." 

In  the  next  two  innings  Oak  Hall  managed  to 
get  two  runs — one  by  a  wild  throw  to  second. 
This  was  a  little  encouraging,  and  the  students 
rooted  wildly.  But  in  the  seventh  inning  Roger 
made  a  wild  throw  to  third  and  that  gave  the 
Rockvilles  two  more  runs.  At  the  end  of  the 
eighth  the  score  stood,  Rockville  10,  Oak  Hall  3. 

"  We  ought  to  have  another  pitcher  and  another 
catcher,"  said  some.  "  Porter  and  Morr  are  both 
off  to-day." 

"  Phil,  you  can  put  somebody  else  in  my  place  if 
you  wish,"  said  the  senator's  son,  quickly. 

"  And  you  can  put  somebody  in  my  place,  too," 
added  Dave. 

"  No,  you  stick  and  do  the  best  you  can,"  an- 
swered the  manager  of  the  nine. 

"  They  can't  do  anything!  "  sneered  Link  Mer- 
well,  who  stood  close  by. 

"  They  can  both  play  far  better  ball  than  you," 


A  DEFEAT  FOR  OAK  HALL  255 

retorted  Phil.  "If  you  were  pitching  or  catching, 
the  Rockvilles  would  have  about  fifty  runs,"  and 
then  he  turned  his  back  on  the  bully. 

It  had  begun  to  rain  a  little,  but  both  clubs  de- 
cided to  play  the  game  out  unless  it  came  down  too 
hard.  Oak  Hall  went  to  the  bat  with  vigor  in 
the  ninth  and  got  two  men  on  bases.  But  then 
came  a  foul  fly,  a  short  hit  to  first,  and  a  pop  fly, 
and  there  their  chances  ended.  Then,  to  see  what 
they  could  do,  Rockville  took  the  last  half  of  the 
ninth  and  batted  out  four  more  runs,  amid  the 
wildest  kind  of  yelling  from  the  Military  Academy 
cadets  and  their  friends. 

Final  score,  Rockville  14,  Oak  Hall  3. 

The  Oak  Hall  boys  felt  as  gloomy  as  the  sky 
above  them  and  they  had  little  or  nothing  to  say. 
They  could  now  realize  how  Rockville  had  felt, 
when  defeated  on  the  football  field,  the  season 
before.  None  of  the  players  gave  attention 
to  the  rain,  which  was  now  coming  down  in 
torrents. 

"  Told  you  we'd  lose,"  said  Link  Merwell,  to 
some  of  the  boys  near  him. 

"Oh,  you're  a  croaker!"  cried  Messmer. 
"  We  can't  win  every  time." 

"  You  should  have  had  Purdy  in  the  box,"  said 
another.  Purdy  was  a  new  student  and  it  was  said 
he  could  pitch  very  well. 

"  Yes,  and  Barloe  behind  the  bat,"  added  an- 


256     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

other.  Barloe  had  caught  in  some  games  the  year 
before  and  done  fairly  well. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  both  Dave  and  Roger 
were  considerably  disheartened  by  the  result  of 
the  game,  and  each  blamed  himself  for  errors 
made.  Gus  Plum  also  bewailed  the  fact  that  he 
had  missed  a  foul  fly  that  came  down  just  out  of 
his  reach. 

It  was  raining  so  hard  the  boys  had  to  wait  in 
the  dressing  rooms  and  on  the  grand  stand  for  the 
downpour  to  let  up  before  starting  for  Oak  Hall. 
Here  the  game  was  discussed  in  every  particular, 
and  each  player  came  in  for  commingled  praise 
and  blame. 

"  Well,  if  you  Want  my  opinion  I'll  give  it,"  said 
Dave,  frankly.  "  I  do  not  say  that  I  didn't  make 
any  errors  myself,  for  I  did.  But  I  think  our  nine 
needs  team-work — we  don't  play  well  enough 
together." 

"  That  is  true,"  answered  Plum.  "  I  go  in  for 
constant  practice  between  now  and  the  time  for  the 
next  game." 

During  the  wait  Phil  slipped  away  from  the 
other  players  and  sought  out  Mary  Feversham. 
The  girl  smiled  sadly  at  his  approach. 

11 1  shouldn't  have  minded  the  rain  at  all  if  you 
had  won,"  she  said.  "  But  to  have  you  lose  and 
have  the  rain  also  is  dreadful !  " 

"  Well,  we  still  have  a  chance  to  win  the  series," 


A  DEFEAT  FOR  OAK  HALL  257 

answered  the  club  captain,  bravely.  "  I  am  sorry 
you  are  caught  here.  Perhaps  I  can  get  a  covered 
carriage " 

11  Thank  you,  but  Vera  has  a  gentleman  friend 
here,  and  he  is  going  to  take  us  home  in  a  coach." 

"Ohl" 

"  He's  a  young  man  that  used  to  think  a  lot  of 
Vera,"  went  on  Mary,  in  a  whisper.  "  I  guess  she 
thinks  a  lot  of  him,  too — but  don't  let  her  know 
I  told  you." 

Soon  the  young  gentleman  drove  up  in  a  coach 
and  Phil  was  introduced.  Then  the  young  ladies 
got  in,  and  off  the  turnout  sped  through  the  rain. 
Then  Phil  rejoined  the  others  of  the  club;  and  a 
little  later  all  were  on  their  way  to  Oak  Hall,  in 
the  carryall,  and  in  covered  carriages  and  wagons. 

"  Were  Mary  Feversham  and  Vera  Rockwell 
here  alone?"  asked  Roger,  while  on  the  way. 

"  I  guess  so,"  answered  Phil. 

"  How  were  they  going  to  get  home?  " 

"  A  young  gentleman,  fellow  named  Greene, — 
personal  friend  of  Vera's, — took  them  home  in  a 
coach." 

"Greene?" 

"  Yes,  George  Greene.  Looked  like  a  nice  fel- 
low. Mary  said  he  and  Vera  were  quite  thick." 
Phil  said  this  carelessly,  but  he  looked  sharply  at 
the  senator's  son  as  he  spoke. 

"  Why,  I  thought "    Roger  broke  off  short. 


258     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  Didn't  you  and  Dave  call  on  Vera  and  Mary 
one  night  last  week?"  he  added,  after  a  long 
pause. 

"  Why — er — I  passed  Mary's  house  and  spoke 
to  her  at  the  gate  for  a  few  minutes,"  stammered 
Phil.  "  Dave  was  with  me,  but  he  didn't  stop — 
said  he  wanted  to  post  a  letter  to  his  sister." 

"  Didn't  he  go  to  Vera's  house?  " 

"  No.  I  don't  think  he  has  seen  her  since  that 
ball  game  at  Oakdale." 

"  Is  that  really  true,  Phil?" 

"  I  believe  it  is,  Roger.  And  now  see  here,  old 
boy,  what  is  this  trouble  between  you  and  Dave? 
I'm  your  chum  and  I'm  Dave's  chum,  too,  and  I 
think  I  have  a  right  to  know." 

"  Why  don't  you  ask  Dave  ?  " 

"  He  says  he  doesn't  know — at  least,  he  says 
the  trouble  all  comes  from  you — no,  I  don't  mean 

that  either,  I  mean Hang  it,  Roger,  what 

do  I  mean?  " 

At  this  outburst  the  senator's  son  had  to  laugh, 
and  Phil  laughed  also,  and  both  boys  felt  better 
for  it.     There  was  a  pause. 

"  I  guess  I've  been — been — well,  jealous,  Phil," 
said  Roger.  "  I — I  thought  Dave  was  sweet  on 
little  Jessie  Wadsworth " 

"  So  he  is." 

"  And  then  he  got  acquainted  with  Vera  Rock- 
well, and — and " 


A  DEFEAT  FOR  OAK  HALL  259 

"  And  he  became  friendly  with  her,  nothing 
more,  Roger — just  as  you  became  friendly  with 
Jessie.  Didn't  he  have  a  right  to  do  that?  Why, 
I  don't  think — in  fact,  I  am  quite  sure, — she 
doesn't  care  for  him  excepting  in  a  general  way. 
Why  should  she  ?  She's  young  yet,  and  so  is  Dave, 
— and  so  are  all  of  us.  Now,  I  like  Mary  Fever- 
sham,  and  I  guess  she  likes  me,  but  I  am  not  going 
to  let  that  come  between  my  friendship  for  you 
and  Dave.  Really,  Roger,  you  are  taking  this  too 
much  to  heart.  I  rather  think,  if  you  ought  to  be 
jealous,  it  should  be  of  Mr.  Greene,  not  of  Dave." 

"  Maybe  you're  right,  Phil,"  answered  the  sena- 
tor's son,  slowly  and  thoughtfully.  "  And  if  you 
are — well,  I've  been  making  a  fool  of  myself, 
that's  all." 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

STUCK   ON  A   SANDBAR 

Roger  seemed  to  feel  much  better  after  his  talk 
with  Phil,  and  that  evening,  when  the  baseball 
club  held  a  meeting  in  the  gymnasium,  he  spoke 
pleasantly  to  Dave.  The  young  pitcher  appreci- 
ated this,  and  when  the  meeting  was  over  he  and 
Roger  walked  to  the  school  side  by  side,  something 
they  had  not  done  in  a  long  while. 

"  I — I  guess  I've  been  making  a  fool  of  myself, 
Dave,"    said    the    senator's    son,     frankly.     "  I 

thought "     He  hesitated,  not  knowing  how 

to  go  on. 

"Don't  say  another  word  about  it,  Roger  1" 
cried  Dave. 

"  You  know  what  it  was  about." 

"  I  think  I  can  guess.  But  what  is  the  use  of 
chewing  it  over?  I  am  swre  I  never  wanted  to  in- 
terfere with  you  or  your — friends.  If  you  like 
Vera — and  I  think  she  is  certainly  a  nice  girl — 
why  don't  you  act  more  friendly  when  you  meet? 
I  think  you  treated  her  a  little  bit  shabbily  the  last 
time — and  maybe  she  thinks  so,  too." 

260 


STUCK  ON  A  SANDBAR  261 

11  Oh,  I  was  a  fool,  that's  why.  I  suppose  now, 
if  I  try  to  make  up,  she'll  cut  me  dead." 

"  I  don't  think  she  is  that  kind,  Roger.  Any- 
way, if  I  were  you,  I'd  try  her." 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  know  I  got  a  note  about 
you  and  her?  "  went  on  the  senator's  son. 

"A  note?" 

"  Yes,  it  was  only  a  scrawl  in  pencil  and  I  was 
so  angry  at  the  time  I  tore  it  up.  It  said  you  were 
making  yourself  friendly  with  her  just  to  cut  me 
out." 

"Who  sent  the  note?" 

"  I  don't  know.    Wish  I  did." 

"It  was  surely  some  enemy,"  said  Dave;  and 
there  the  talk  had  to  come  to  an  end. 

Not  much  had  been  said  at  the  meeting  of  the 
baseball  club,  but  during  the  next  few  days  many 
of  the  students  of  Oak  Hall  came  out  against 
Dave,  Roger,  and  Gus  Plum,  saying  they  thought 
those  three  players  had  lost  the  game.  This  was 
not  true,  but  the  talk  grew,  and  it  made  matters 
decidedly  unpleasant  for  the  trio  of  ball  players. 

"  Phil,  I  think  you  had  better  try  Purdy  in  the 
box  at  the  next  game,"  said  Dave.  "  So  many  of 
the  fellows  seem  to  want  him." 

"  And  you  can  put  Barloe  behind  the  bat," 
added  Roger.  "  I  don't  want  to  catch  if  somebody 
can  do  better." 

"And  I'll  give  up  first  base,"  said  Plum. 


262     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  See  here,  if  you  are  all  going  to  resign  I'll 
resign  myself!"  cried  the  manager  of  the  nine. 
"  This  talk  is  all  nonsense." 

"  But  it  is  growing  stronger,"  answered  Dave. 
"  And  I  must  admit,  Purdy  is  a  good  pitcher." 

"  Can  he  pitch  as  well  as  you?  " 

"  I'd  prefer  to  have  others  decide  that  question." 

More  talks  like  this  followed,  and  when  some 
of  the  other  students  got  at  Phil  he  began  to 
waver. 

"  Well,  regardless  of  friendships,"  said  he  at 
last,  "  I  want  to  do  the  best  I  can  for  Oak  Hall. 
I  am  willing  to  put  Purdy  in  the  box,  Barloe  be- 
hind the  bat,  and  Hissoc  on  first,  provided  Dave, 
Roger,  and  Gus  will  go  on  the  substitute  bench." 

"  I  reckon  Porter  won't  agree  to  substitute," 
said  one  of  the  club  members. 

But  in  this  surmise  the  player  was  mistaken. 
The  young  pitcher  agreed  to  do  anything  the  man- 
ager wished,  and  so  did  the  senator's  son  and 
Plum.  Thereupon  Purdy,  Barloe,  and  Hissoc 
were  at  once  put  into  training  for  the  next  game. 

One  afternoon  Dave,  Phil,  Roger,  and  Ben 
Basswood  went  for  a  row  on  the  river.  They 
took  one  of  the  racing  boats,  and,  with  each  at 
an  oar,  they  made  rapid  progress  up  the  stream. 
They  passed  several  of  the  islands,  and  then 
rounded  a  point  and  entered  a  cove  which  was 
thickly  lined  with  bushes  and  trees. 


STUCK  ON  A  SANDBAR  263 

"  Nat  Poole  is  out  in  his  motor  boat,"  said 
Roger.     "  He  has  Link  Merwell  with  him." 

"  I  think  the  best  thing  Nat  can  do  is  to  drop 
Merwell,"  was  Ben's  comment.  "  Merwell  is  get- 
ting reckless.  I've  seen  him  in  town  half  a  dozen 
times,  hanging  around  the  poolroom,  smoking." 

"  Yes,  and  he  drinks,"  said  Roger.  "  Sometimes 
I  really  think  he  ought  to  be  reported  to  Doctor 
Clay." 

"Yes,  but  who  wants  to  do  it?"  asked  Phil. 
"  Nobody  wants  the  reputation  of  a  tale- 
bearer." 

"  He  certainly  ought  to  be  expelled  if  he  is  go- 
ing to  lead  others  astray,"  was  Dave's  comment. 
"  I  suppose  some  of  us  ought  to  talk  to  Nat  about 
it.  But  Nat  is  so  conceited  he  thinks  he  knows  it 
all,  and  it  would  be  mighty  hard  to  tell  him  any- 
thing." 

11  Hark !  I  hear  a  motor  boat  now !  "  cried  Ben. 
"  It  must  be  behind  those  overhanging  trees." 

11  Here  it  comes,"  said  Roger.  "  I  declare,  it's 
Poole's  boat  and  he  and  Merwell  have  several 
young  ladies  aboard !  " 

As  the  motor  boat  came  closer  the  boys  saw  that 
the  young  ladies  were  Vera  Rockwell,  Mary 
Feversham,  and  a  stranger. 

"  I  didn't  know  those  girls  would  go  out  with 
Poole  and  Merwell,"  was  Phil's  comment. 

"  Nor  I,"  added  Roger. 


264    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

The  motor  boat  had  been  headed  almost  directly 
for  the  rowboat,  but  as  soon  as  Merwell  recog- 
nized those  in  the  smaller  craft  he  turned  to  his 
crony  and  said  something  in  a  whisper,  and  then 
the  motor  boat  was  turned  in  another  direction. 

"  Motor  boat,  ahoy!  "  cried  Ben. 

To  this  hail  Poole  and  Merwell  paid  no  atten- 
tion. Poole  was  steering  and  the  bully  was  at  the 
engine,  and  the  latter  advanced  the  spark  and 
turned  on  more  gasoline,  in  order  to  increase  the 
speed  of  the  craft. 

"  Oh,  it's  Mr.  Lawrence!  "  cried  Mary  Fever- 
sham. 

"  And  Mr.  Porter  and  Mr.  Morr!  "  added  Vera 
Rockwell. 

"  Please  stop  the  boat,  we  want  to  speak  to 
them,"  went  on  Mary,  to  Merwell. 

"  Can't  stop  just  now,"  grumbled  the  bully,  as 
he  tried  to  make  the  engine  run  still  faster. 

"  Why,  the  idea !  "  exclaimed  the  strange  girl 
of  the  party.  "  I  thought  you  could  stop  a  motor 
boat  any  time." 

"  So  you  can,"  added  Vera  Rockwell.  "  I  want 
you  to  stop,"  she  went  on,  commandingly. 

"  Can't  do  it,"  answered  Merwell,  and  then  he 
winked  at  Poole,  who  had  turned  his  head  to  listen 
to  the  talk. 

"Well,  I  think  you  are  real  mean!"  pouted 
Mary.     "  I  shall  never  ask  you  to  take  me  across 


STUCK  ON  A  SANDBAR  265 

the  river  again.  You've  kept  us  on  the  motor 
boat  now  nearly  an  hour !  " 

"  If  you  don't  land  us  where  we  want  to  go,  and 
as  soon  as  possible,  I'll  tell  my  brother,"  said  Vera. 

"  Yes,  and  we'll  tell  those  students  in  that  row- 
boat,  too,"  said  Mary. 

"  You  came  for  a  ride  of  your  own  free  will," 
said  Merwell. 

"  We  did  not.  We  said  we  wanted  to  cross  the 
river  and  you  said  you'd  take  us  across." 

"  Well,  that's  what  we  intend  to  do,"  and  Mer- 
well grinned  in  a  manner  that  disgusted  all  three 
of  the  fair  passengers. 

"  If  you  don't  land  us  at  once,  I  shall  cry  for 
help,"  said  Vera. 

"  And  so  will  I,"  added  the  other  girls. 

"  We'll  land  you — after  we've  had  a  ride,"  an- 
swered Merwell,  and  continued  to  crowd  the  en- 
gine as  best  he  knew  how. 

"  Don't  run  too  fast — I  don't  know  the  channel 
here !  "  cried  Poole,  somewhat  alarmed.  Had  he 
had  his  way,  he  would  have  landed  the  girls  long 
before,  but  he  did  not  dare  to  thwart  Link  Mer- 
well's  pleasure.  The  bully  took  a  vast  delight  in 
teasing  the  girls  and  scaring  them. 

"  Help !  help !  "  cried  Vera,  suddenly.  "  Help !  " 
And  then  the  other  girls  joined  in  the  call  for  as- 
sistance. 

"  You  shut  up !  "  exclaimed  Merwell,  sullenly. 


266     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  We  are  not  hurting  you.  If  you  don't  shut  up 
we'll  land  you  on  one  of  the  islands  and  leave  you 
there." 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  the  third  girl,  whose  name 
was  Sadie  Fillmore,  and  then  she  nearly  fainted 
from  fright. 

The  motor  boat  was  rounding  a  point  of  the 
cove  when  there  came  an  unexpected  scraping  on 
the  bottom.  Then  suddenly  the  craft  slid  up  on 
a  sandbar  and  careened  to  one  side,  almost  tum- 
bling some  of  the  occupants  into  the  water. 

"  Shut  her  off !  "  yelled  Poole,  and  in  alarm  Link 
Merwell  stopped  the  engine.  The  girls  screamed 
and  clung  to  each  other  in  terror.  A  little  water 
entered  the  boat  and  this  added  to  their  fright. 

"Now,  see  what  you  did!"  cried  Nat  Poole. 
"  We  are  on  a  sandbar." 

"  It  wasn't  my  fault — I  wasn't  steering,"  an- 
swered Link  Merwell. 

"  I  told  you  to  run  slow,  but  you  kept  piling  on 
the  speed." 

"Are  we  go — going  to — to  sink?'*  faltered 
Mary. 

"  Sink?  We  can't  sink.  We  are  high  and  dry 
on  a  sandbar,"   grumbled  Merwell. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  thankful!" 

"  Well,  I'm  not." 

"  But  we  aren't  dry — the  water  is  all  around  us," 
protested  Vera. 


STUCK  ON  A  SANDBAR  267 

"  There's  not  enough  to  float  us." 

"  What  are  we  going  to  do?  "  demanded  Poole, 
looking  at  his  crony  with  much  concern  showing  in 
his  face. 

"  Perhaps  we  can  back  her,"  suggested  Merwell. 
11  I'll  reverse  the  engine  and  try." 

This  was  done,  but  though  the  propeller  churned 
the  water  into  a  foam  and  sent  some  sand  flying 
into  the  air,  the  motor  boat  remained  firmly  on  the 
bar. 

"  It's  no  use,"  sighed  Nat.  "  Stop  the  engine, 
or  you  may  break  something."  And  then  the 
power  was  turned  off. 

"What  are  we  to  do?"  questioned  Sadie  Fill- 
more.    "  We  can't  stay  here  forever." 

"Here  comes  that  rowboat!"  cried  Vera,  a 
moment  later. 

"  Oh,  let  us  signal  to  them !  "  exclaimed  Mary, 
and  standing  up  she  waved  her  handkerchief,  and 
then  her  big  sailor  hat. 

"  We  don't  want  those  fellows  here !  "  growled 
Link  Merwell.  "  They  can  go  about  their 
business.  We'll  get  the  boat  off  the  sandbar 
somehow." 

"  We  do  want  them,"  answered  Vera,  and  joined 
her  friend  in  signaling,  and  Sadie  Fillmore  did  the 
same. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  other  boat  came 
within  hailing  distance.     Seeing  that  the  motor 


268     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

boat  was  stuck  on  a  sandbar,  the  rowers  took  care 
not  to  ground  their  craft. 

"  Help  us,  won't  you,  please !  "  cried  Vera. 

11  Yes,  yes,  take  us  off !  "  added  Mary. 

"  We  don't  want  to  stay  on  this  motor  boat  any 
longer!  "  exclaimed  Sadie. 

"  I  guess  we  can  take  the  girls  off,"  said  Phil. 
"  But  what  about  Poole  and  Merwell?  " 

"  We  might  come  back  for  them,"  an- 
swered Ben.  "  We  can't  leave  them  here  very 
well." 

With  care  the  rowboat  was  brought  to  the  side 
of  the  motor  boat  and  the  girls  were  assisted  from 
one  craft  to  the  other. 

"  Can't  you  take  us?  "  asked  Poole. 

"  Not  now,"  said  Roger.  "  We  can  come  back 
later." 

The  rowboat  was  rather  crowded,  but  this  could 
not  be  altered.  The  boys  pulled  away  from  the 
motor  boat,  and  then  asked  the  girls  where  they 
wished  to  be  landed. 

"  We  were  going  to  Perry's  Point,  across  the 
river,"  explained  Vera.  "  But  those  boys  kept  us 
out  so  long  I  think  we'd  better  go  home."  And 
then  she  and  the  others  told  how  they  had  been 
walking  toward  the  place  where  an  old  man  kept 
a  ferry,  when  they  had  been  hailed  by  Merwell, 
who  had  offered  to  take  them  across. 

"  But  they  didn't  take  us  across  at  all  I  "  cried 


STUCK  ON  A  SANDBAR  269 

Mary.  "  They  took  us  for  a  ride  instead,  although 
we  told  them  we  didn't  want  to  go." 

"Can  that  be  true?"  asked  Phil,  indignantly. 

"  It  certainly  is,"  said  Vera.  "  Oh,  I  think  they 
were  just  too  mean  for  anything!" 

"  It  serves  them  right  that  their  motor  boat 
ran  on  the  sandbar.  I  hope  they  never  get  it  oft," 
added  Sadie  Fillmore. 

"  We'll  have  to  look  into  this,"  said  Dave.  "  It 
was  contemptible  to  keep  you  out  on  the  river 
against  your  will,  and  they  ought  to  be  made  to 
suffer  for  it." 

"  And  they  shall  suffer — just  you  wait  and  see," 
said  Roger,  firmly. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

LINK  MERWELL   HAS   HIS   SAY 

As  swiftly  as  they  could  the  four  boys  rowed 
the  girls  to  where  they  wanted  to  go.  During  the 
trip  Roger  spoke  to  Vera  half  a  dozen  times,  and 
the  coldness  between  them  became  a  thing  of  the 
past.  Sadie  Fillmore  was  formally  introduced, 
and  all  three  girls  said  they  were  going  to  attend 
the  next  baseball  game  at  Hilltop. 

"  My  father  has  a  tally-ho  and  we  are  going  in 
that,"  said  Sadie.  Her  parents  were  rich  and  lived 
in  Oakdale  in  the  summer  and  in  New  York  City 
in  the  winter. 

"  Well,  I  hope  you  see  a  good  game,"  answered 
Dave.  He  said  nothing  about  Roger,  Plum,  and 
himself  being  only  substitutes,  for  he  did  not  wish 
to  place  Phil  in  an  awkward  position. 

As  soon  as  the  girls  were  landed  the  boys  rowed 
out  into  the  river  again,  and  there  they  held 
what  might  be  termed  an  impromptu  indignation 
meeting. 

"  Now,  what  do  you  think  of  that?  "  burst  out 
Roger,  referring  to  the  conduct  of  Poole  and  Mer- 

270 


LINK  MERWELL  HAS  HIS  SAY        271 

well.  "  I  say  such  actions  are  a  disgrace  to  Oak 
Hall." 

"  Yes,  and  those  fellows  ought  to  be  tarred  and 
feathered,"  added  Phil. 

"  Doctor  Clay  ought  to  hear  of  this,"  came  from 
Ben. 

"  I  think  I  have  a  plan  to  teach  them  a  lesson," 
said  Dave. 

"  Let 's  have  it,"  returned  the  senator's  son, 
promptly. 

"  We'll  tell  them  what  we  think  of  them  and 
then  leave  them  stuck  on  the  sandbar  without  send- 
ing anybody  to  their  assistance.  Maybe  they'll 
have  to  stay  there  all  night.  They  won't  like  that 
— and  without  their  supper,  too!  " 

"  Good !  That's  the  cheese !  "  cried  Ben,  slang- 
ily.  "  I  hope  they  have  to  go  without  their  sup- 
per and  breakfast,  too !  " 

It  was  decided  to  refuse  all  assistance,  and  this 
agreed  upon,  the  four  rowed  to  the  vicinity  of  the 
stranded  motor  boat.  They  found  Poole  and  Mer- 
well  still  on  board,  both  waiting  impatiently  for 
their  return. 

"  It's  a  wonder  you  wouldn't  come !  "  cried 
Poole.  "  Do  you  think  we  want  to  stay  here  all 
night?" 

"  Can  you  pull  us  off?"  asked  Link  Merwell. 
"If  you  can't,  Nat  and  I  want  you  to  go  to  Oak- 
dale  and  get  the  tug  Ella  Davis  to  do  the  job." 


272     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  You  talk  as  if  we  were  hired  to  work  for  you," 
answered  Dave. 

"  I  wasn't  addressing  you,  Porter — I  was  talk- 
ing to  the  others." 

"  Well,  we  are  not  in  your  employ  either,"  an- 
swered Phil. 

"  Look  here,  Merwell,  and  you,  too,  Poole," 
said  Roger.  "  We've  got  a  big  bone  to  pick  with 
you,  but  it  won't  take  long  to  pick  it.  We  think 
that  the  way  you  acted  toward  those  young  ladies 
was  disgraceful,  and  it  reflects  on  the  honor  of 
Oak  Hall.  For  two  pins  we'd  tell  some  of  the 
other  students,  and  you'd  be  tarred  and  feathered 
or  run  out  of  the  school.    We " 

"  It  wasn't  my  fault  I  "  interrupted  Nat  Poole, 
turning  pale.  "  I — I  was  willing  enough  to  take 
them  across  the  riv " 

"  Shut  up !  "  growled  Link  Merwell.  "  We  are 
not  accountable  to  them  for  what  we  do.  Don't 
make  a  fool  of  yourself." 

"  It  was  certainly  an  outrageous  proceeding," 
said  Ben.  "  If  their  folks  wanted  to  make  you 
suffer  for  it,  they  could  do  so." 

"  Oh,  don't  gas,  Basswood.  If  you  don't  want 
to  aid  us,  say  so.  We  are  not  going  to  beg  you  to 
do  so."  And  Link  Merwell's  face  showed  his 
hatred. 

"  We  are  going  to  leave  you  here,  as  you 
deserve,"  said  Dave. 


LINK  MERWELL  HAS  HIS  SAY         273 

"  No,  no !  Please  don't  do  that!  "  pleaded  Nat 
Poole.  "  I  don't  want  to  stay  in  this  lonely  part  of 
the  river  all  night!  " 

"Shut  up — we  can  swim  ashore!"  whispered 
his  crony. 

"  The  water  is  too  cold  yet — I  felt  of  it. 
It's  like  ice,"  answered  Nat.  He  was  plainly 
frightened. 

11  Listen,"  said  Phil,  in  a  low  tone  to  his  chums. 
"  Nat  says  he  wanted  to  take  the  girls  across  the 
river.  Perhaps  he  isn't  to  blame  as  much  as  we 
think." 

11  He  stood  in  with  Merwell,"  answered  Phil. 

11  Oh,  don't  leave  us  here !  "  cried  the  dudish 
student.  "  It  looks  as  if  it  might  rain  to-night, 
and  it  will  be  cold,  and " 

11  Say,  you  make  me  sick,"  growled  Merwell. 
"  I  wouldn't  ask  them  for  a  favor  now  if  I  was 
dying!" 

11  See  here,  Poole,"  said  Dave,  after  consulting 
his  chums.    "  We'll  take  you  off  on  one  condition." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  That  you  will  promise  to  write  a  letter  to  each 
of  the  young  ladies,  apologizing  for  your  conduct." 

"  Why,  I— er— I " 

11  You  can  take  your  choice,"  added  Roger. 
"  Apologize  or  stay  here."    . 

"  I  didn't  mean  any  harm.  I  was  willing  to  take 
them  across,  but  Link " 


274     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  That's  right,  blame  it  all  on  me !  "  burst  out 
Merwell.  "Well,  I  don't  care.  I'll  not  crawl 
to  anybody!  They  can  go  to  Halifax,  for  all  I 
care !     I  don't  want  their  aid." 

"  I'll — I'll  apologize,  if  you'll  take  me  back  to 
the  school,"  faltered  Poole. 

"  All  right  then,  get  into  the  rowboat,"  said 
Phil. 

"  And  mind  you  keep  your  promise,  or  you'll 
catch  it !  "  added  the  senator's  son. 

The  rowboat  was  brought  close  to  the  stern 
of  the  larger  craft  and  the  dudish  student  leaped 
on  board.  As  he  did  this,  Merwell  caught  up  a 
boathook,  gave  the  rowboat  a  shove,  and  almost 
capsized  it. 

"  Let  up,  Merwell !  "  exclaimed  Dave,  and  rais- 
ing his  oar,  he  hit  the  bully  a  blow  on  the  shoulder 
and  sent  him  sprawling  in  the  bottom  of  the  motor 
boat.  Then  the  rowboat  floated  away  from  the 
larger  craft. 

If  Link  Merwell  had  been  angry  before,  he  was 
now  in  a  perfect  rage.  Scrambling  to  his  feet,  he 
shook  his  fist  at  the  others. 

"  Just  wait !  "  he  roared.  "  I'll  fix  you  all  for 
this,  and  you  particularly,  Dave  Porter,  you  poor- 
house  rat !  I'll  make  you  wish  you  had  never  been 
born!" 

"  Come  away! "  cried  Nat  Poole,  badly  fright- 
ened.   "  Don't  listen  to  him." 


Raising  his  oar,  he  hit  the  bully  a  blow  ox  the  shoulder. 
Page  274. 


LINK  MERWELL  HAS  HIS  SAY         275 

"  He  acts  as  if  he  was  crazy,"  was  Phil's  com- 
ment. 

"  I — I  know  what  it  is,"  returned  Poole. 
"  It's "     He  hesitated. 

"Has  he  been  drinking?"  demanded  Dave. 
11  Come,  tell  the  truth,  Nat?  " 

"  Yes.  He  had  a  bottle  of  stuff  with  him,  and 
he  had  one  drink  before  we  started  and  two  more 
while  we  were  waiting  for  you  to  come  back.  He 
isn't  himself  at  all — so  you  mustn't  mind  what  he 
says." 

"  He's  a  fool !  "  came  bluntly  from  Ben. 

11 1  made  a  mistake  to  go  out  with  him.  He's 
always  that  way  when  he's  got  anything  to  drink." 

Dave's  face  was  a  study.  When  Merwell  had 
called  him  "  a  poorhouse  rat "  he  had  gone  white 
and  his  teeth  had  closed  with  a  snap,  but  now, 
when  he  heard  how  the  misguided  youth  was  the 
victim  of  his  own  appetite,  the  lines  softened  into 
pity  and  nothing  else. 

"  It's  too  bad,"  he  said.  "  Why  can't  fellows 
leave  drink  alone  ?  "  And  then  he  thought  of  poor 
Gus  and  how  he  had  been  tempted. 

"  We  ought  to  take  the  stuff  away  from  him," 
said  Roger. 

"  It's  too  late  for  that — the  bottle  is  empty,  and 
Merwell  threw  it  overboard,"  answered  Poole. 

"  I  don't  think  it  safe  to  leave  him  out  on  the 
river  alone,"  said  Dave. 


276     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

But  none  of  the  others  would  agree  to  go  back, 
and  so  the  rowboat  was  headed  for  the  Oak  Hall 
dock.  They  were  just  coming  in  sight  of  the  place 
when  they  heard  a  put-put !  on  the  river  and  looked 
back. 

"Well,  I  declare,  it's  the  motor  boat!"  ejacu- 
lated Roger. 

"  He  must  have  got  it  off  the  bar  somehow," 
said  Phil. 

"  Maybe  it  slid  off  of  itself,"  suggested  Ben. 
"  Although  I  don't  see  how  it  could." 

Left  to  himself  Link  Merwell  had  started  the 
engine  full  speed  ahead.  He  was  desperate  and 
did  not  care  whether  he  ruined  the  motor  boat  or 
not.  Lightened  of  the  weight  of  the  other  pas- 
sengers, the  boat  had  wormed  its  way  over  the  bar 
and  into  deep  water,  and  then  he  had  started  in 
pursuit  of  the  rowboat. 

"  You  didn't  get  the  best  of  me,  anyhow !  "  he 
sang  out,  as  he  passed  them.  Then  he  ran  up  to 
the  dock,  stopped  the  engine,  and  leaped  ashore, 
and  without  waiting  to  tie  up  the  craft,  walked 
swiftly  toward  the  school  building  and  disap- 
peared. That  evening  he  left  Oak  Hall,  to  be 
gone  for  several  days,  on  business  for  his  father, 
so  he  told  Doctor  Clay.  Whether  this  was  true  or 
not  the  boys  never  found  out.  They  suspected, 
however,  that  he  went  off  to  have  what  he  called 
a  good  time. 


LINK  MERWELL  HAS  HIS  SAY        277 

Those  who  had  been  out  in  the  rowboat  saw  to 
it  that  Nat  Poole  wrote  and  mailed  the  letters  of 
apology  to  the  three  girls,  and  then  Dave  and  Ben 
gave  the  lad  from  Crumville  a  severe  lecture,  tell- 
ing him  that  it  would  be  to  his  credit  to  cut  such 
a  fellow  as  Merwell,  who  was  bound,  sooner  or 
later,  to  drag  him  down. 

"  Merwell  is  by  far  the  worst  boy  that  ever 
came  to  Oak  Hall,"  said  Dave,  "  and  sooner  or 
later  he  will  be  expelled.  What  will  your  father 
say  if  you  are  expelled  with  him?  " 

"  We  want  you  to  make  a  record,"  said  Ben. 
"  Not  only  for  your  own  sake,  but  also  for  the 
honor  of  the  town  we  come  from,  and  for  the 
honor  of  the  school.  You'll  never  gain  anything 
by  sticking  in  with  Merwell.  Gus  Plum  has  cut 
him,  and  so  have  lots  of  the  fellows,  and  you 
ought  to  do  it.  There  are  plenty  of  other  good 
fellows  in  this  school,  even  if  you  don't  want  to 
train  with  our  particular  crowd.  Think  it  over, 
Nat." 

And  Nat  Poole  did  think  it  over,  and,  as  a  con- 
sequence, from  that  day  on  he  turned  his  back  on 
Merwell  and  refused  to  have  anything  more  to 
do  with  the  dissolute  bully. 

The  day  for  the  second  ball  game  with  Rock- 
ville  was  perfect  in  every  respect.  The  sun  shone 
brightly  and  there  was  just  sufficient  breeze  to 
make  the  air  bracing.    Everybody  turned  out  to  see 


278     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

the  contest,  and  long  before  the  umpire  called 
"Play!"  grand  stand  and  bleachers  were 
crowded. 

The  Rockville  players  were  rather  surprised  to 
see  Dave,  Roger,  and  Plum  on  the  bench  while 
strangers  filled  their  positions  on  the  diamond. 
They  asked  each  other,  "  What  are  we  up 
against?  "  but  none  could  answer  that  question. 

The  Military  Academy  nine  went  to  the  bat  first, 
and  much  to  the  delight  of  Oak  Hall,  Purdy,  the 
new  pitcher,  struck  out  two  men,  while  the  third 
knocked  a  foul  that  was  easily  gathered  in  by  the 
new  first  baseman. 

"That's  the  way  to  hold  'em  down!"  cried 
several. 

"  Purdy's  a  big  improvement  on  Porter,  eh?" 

"  It  certainly  looks  that  way." 

In  this  first  inning  Oak  Hall  managed  to  score 
one  run,  which  caused  a  wild  cheering,  in  which 
Dave,  Roger,  and  Gus  readily  joined.  But  in  the 
second,  third,  and  fourth  they  got  only  "  goose 
eggs,"  while  Rockville  came  in  over  the  home  plate 
six  times.  In  the  fourth  inning  the  second  base- 
man was  "  spiked  "  by  accident  while  sliding  to 
third,  and  had  to  retire,  and  Plum  took  his  place. 
Then  came  the  fifth  inning,  with  a  run  for  each 
nine,  and  in  that  the  shortstop  was  almost  knocked 
senseless  by  a  hot  liner. 

"  Roger,  you'll  have  to  cover  short,"  said  Phil, 


LINK  MERWELL  HAS  HIS  SAY         279 

and  the  senator's  son  ran  out  to  do  so,  amid  a  clap- 
ping of  hands  from  his  friends. 

The  sixth  inning  resulted  in  several  hits  for  the 
nines,  but  no  runs  were  made.  Then  came  the 
seventh,  with  another  run  for  each,  and  in  this  a 
runner  for  Rockville  bumped  into  the  Oak  Hall 
third  baseman  and  both  had  to  retire. 

"  This  is  certainly  a  slaughter!  "  cried  one  spec- 
tator. "  If  they  keep  on,  somebody  will  be  killed 
before  they  get  through." 

The  accident  took  Dave  out  in  the  field  to  cover 
third.  As  luck  would  have  it,  less  than  a  minute 
later  he  caught  a  man  trying  to  slide  to  the  bag, 
and  when  the  runner  was  declared  out  the  Oak 
Hall  boys  set  up  a  cheer. 

"  Good  for  Dave  Porter !  That's  the  way  to 
cover  third !  " 

The  end  of  the  eighth  inning  found  the  score 
Rockville  11,  Oak  Hall  4.  It  looked  as  if  Oak 
Hall  was  beaten,  yet  the  nine  resolved  to  do  its 
best  to  win  out. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

DAVE   MAKES   UP   HIS  MIND 

With  the  score  eleven  to  four  against  his  club, 
Purdy,  the  pitcher,  got  nervous,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence he  allowed  the  first  batter  up  to  walk  to  first 
on  balls.  Then  the  next  player  met  the  sphere  for 
a  base  hit,  and  the  man  on  first  ran  down  to  second. 

"  Steady,  Purdy,  steady !  "  was  the  cry. 

"  Better  put  in  Dave  Porter,"  advised  some  of 
Dave's  friends. 

The  next  batter  got  two  strikes  and  two  balls 
and  then  knocked  a  short  fly,  which  was  scooped 
in  by  Plum  at  second.  Then  the  runner  at  sec- 
ond, on  the  next  delivery  of  the  ball  over  the  plate, 
tried  to  steal  to  third.  Over  came  the  ball  from 
the  catcher.  It  was  fully  three  feet  over  Dave's 
head,  and  many  held  their  breath,  expecting  the 
run  to  come  in.  But  with  a  high  jump,  Dave 
reached  the  sphere  and  brought  it  down  with  one 
hand;  and  the  runner  was  put  out. 

"  Hurrah !  What  do  you  think  of  that  for  a 
catch!" 

280 


DAVE  MAKES  UP  HIS  MIND  281 

"  Talk  about  jumping !  That's  the  best  I  ever 
saw  on  any  ball-field !  " 

The  next  man  up  got  to  first  on  balls,  and  again 
there  was  a  cry  to  take  Purdy  out  of  the  box  and 
substitute  Dave.  But  Dave  shook  his  head  to 
Phil. 

11  It  wouldn't  be  fair,"  he  said.  "  Purdy  hasn't 
done  so  badly — it  was  a  streak  of  poor  luck,  that's 
all." 

When  the  next  batter  came  up  he  waited  until 
he  had  a  strike  and  two  balls  and  then  knocked  a 
swift  liner  into  the  diamond.  It.  came  several 
feet  from  Roger,  but  now  the  former  catcher 
proved  his  worth.  He  made  a  dive,  caught  the 
ball,  and  rolled  over,  but  still  held  the  ball  up  in 
his  left  hand. 

"Batter  out!" 

"  That  ends  it  for  Rockville." 

It  did  end  it  for  Rockville  so  far  as  making  any 
runs  was  concerned,  but  it  still  looked  as  if  the 
game  belonged  to  them  and  with  it  the  series. 

But  the  Oak  Hall  boys  went  to  the  bat  with  a 
"  do  or  die  "  look  on  their  faces.  Phil  started  the 
ball  rolling  with  a  two-bagger  and  Roger  fol- 
lowed with  a  single,  taking  Phil  to  third.  Then 
came  Shadow  with  another  two-bagger,  bringing 
in  the  two  runners. 

What  a  cheering  and  yelling!  The  Oak  Hall 
boys  went  wild  and  waved  their  caps  and  banners. 


282     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Then,  while  the  noise  was  still  going  on,  Dave 
came  up  to  the  bat,  swung  the  ashen  stick  at  the 
first  ball  delivered,  and  sent  the  sphere  down  to 
deep  center. 

"  Hurrah !    A  home  run  1  " 

"  That's  the  way  to  do  it !    We'll  win  out  yet  1 " 

Dave  had,  of  course,  brought  in  Shadow,  and 
this  gave  Oak  Hall  eight  runs.  Seeing  the  runs 
piling  up  the  Rockville  pitcher  became  rattled,  and 
gave  two  men  their  base  on  balls.  Then  came  an- 
other two  bagger,  and  the  men  on  first  and  second 
trotted  home. 

"  Ten  to  eleven !  One  more  run,  fellows,  and 
you'll  tie  'em  !  " 

"  Change  the  pitcher!  He's  no  good!  "  called 
out  some  of  the  Rockville  supporters.  And  an- 
other pitcher  was  sent  to  the  box. 

Sam  Day  was  now  at  the  bat.  Sam  was  a 
cautious  player,  not  easily  rattled.  He  allowed 
two  balls  to  pass  him,  and  they  were  called  such 
by  the  umpire.  Then,  seeing  just  what  he  wished 
coming,  he  "  swatted  it  for  keeps,"  as  Phil  said, 
and  ran  for  dear  life.  He  reached  third  and  the 
fellow  at  second  came  home,  tying  the  score. 

Pandemonium  now  broke  forth  in  earnest,  while 
the  catcher  walked  forward  to  confer  with  the 
pitcher.  Gus  Plum  was  up,  and  his  face  was 
deathly  white  as  he  faced  the  pitcher.  He  felt  as 
if  the  fate  of  a  nation  depended  upon  him. 


DAVE  MAKES  UP  HIS  MIND  283 

In  came  the  ball  and  with  unerring  judgment 
Plum  struck  at  it.  Down  he  went  to  first,  safe, 
and  in  came  Sam  from  third. 

The  game  was  won !  The  supporters  of  Oak 
Hall  rushed  upon  the  field,  and  the  nine  was 
warmly  congratulated.  The  Rockville  club  was 
bitterly  disappointed  and  left  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. 

11  Don't  tell  me  that  Porter,  Morr,  and  Plum 
are  poor  players,"  said  Luke  Watson.  "  They 
did  more  than  their  share  to  win  this  game,"  and 
in  that  opinion  even  Mr.  Dale  concurred. 

The  result  of  the  game  hit  Nat  Poole  heavily. 
He  had  counted  upon  Oak  Hall  losing,  and  in 
secret  had  made  several  wagers  against  the  school. 
Now  all  his  pocket-money  was  gone  and  he  was 
about  twenty  dollars  in  debt.  He  wrote  to  his 
father  for  money,  but,  as  my  old  readers  know, 
Aaron  Poole  was  very  miserly  at  times,  and  now 
he  pulled  his  purse-strings  tight  and  declared 
that  Nat  spent  too  much  entirely,  and  must  do 
without  more  funds  until  the  summer  vacation 
came. 

When  Link  Merwell  came  back  to  Oak  Hall  his 
general  manner  was  worse  than  before,  and  even 
Nat  was  glad  that  he  had  cut  away  from  the  fel- 
low. Merwell  was  getting  to  be  a  thorough  sport, 
and  a  few,  but  by  no  means  all,  of  his  doings 
reached  Doctor  Clay's  ears.    As  a  consequence  the 


a84    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

master  of  the  school  sent  a  long  letter  to  MerwelFs 
father  and  gave  Link  himself  a  stern  lecture. 
The  lecture  was  not  appreciated,  for  Merwell 
made  no  effort  to  reform. 

During  the  week  following  the  second  game  of 
ball  with  Rockville,  Dave  put  the  finishing  touches 
to  his  essay  on  The  Past  and  Future  of  Our  Coun- 
try. It  was  his  masterpiece  so  far,  and  when  it 
was  finished  he  breathed  a  sigh  of  commingled 
relief  and  satisfaction.  He  handed  in  the  essay 
to  Mr.  Dale,  and  it  was  filed  away  with  sixteen 
others  for  examination. 

"  I  hope  you  win,  Dave,"  said  Roger.  "  I  am 
sure  you  deserve  the  prize — you  have  worked  so 
hard." 

Roger  was  now  as  "  chummy  "  as  ever,  which 
pleased  Dave  very  much.  After  the  second  ball 
game  the  senator's  son  and  Phil  and  Shadow  had 
sought  out  Mary,  Vera,  and  Sadie,  and  the  young 
people  had  spent  a  pleasant  hour  together.  In  a 
roundabout  way  Roger  learned  that  Mr.  Greene 
was  nothing  more  to  Vera  than  an  old  friend,  and 
this,  somehow,  eased  his  mind  exceedingly. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  talk  about  putting 
Roger,  Dave,  and  Plum  back  on  the  regular  nine, 
but  the  backers  of  Purdy  and  Barloe  were  so  in- 
sistent that  they  be  retained  that  only  Plum  was  al- 
lowed to  take  his  old  place. 

u  But  I  want  you  two  to  be  substitutes  as  be- 


DAVE  MAKES  UP  HIS  MIND  285 

fore,"  said  Phil,  to  Dave  and  Roger.  "  I'll  feel 
safer  if  I  know  you  are  at  hand." 

"  All  right,  I'll  be  there,"  answered  Dave, 
cheerfully,  and  the  senator's  son  nodded  to  show 
that  he  agreed  to  the  request.  If  both  were  bit- 
terly disappointed  at  not  being  chosen  to  pitch 
and  to  catch  at  this  last  game  they  took  good  care 
not  to  show  it. 

As  soon  as  Link  Merwell  heard  that  Gus  Plum 
had  been  put  back  on  the  regular  nine,  he  com- 
menced to  lay  plans  to  make  trouble.  Since  Plum 
had  given  him  the  cold  shoulder  he  hated  Gus  ex- 
ceedingly. He  thought  he  knew  Plum's  weak 
point,  and  he  acted  accordingly. 

By  the  request  of  the  Rockville  manager  the  final 
game  of  the  series  had  been  postponed  from  Satur- 
day to  the  following  Wednesday.  On  Thursday 
the  students  of  Oak  Hall  were  to  have  their  final 
exercises,  and  on  Friday  school  was  to  break  up 
for  the  term.  Many  visitors  had  been  invited  to 
attend  the  exercises  and  some  of  them  arrived  in 
Oakdale  the  day  before,  so  as  to  witness  the  ball 
game. 

Among  the  latter  were  Mr.  Porter  and  Laura, 
Mr.  Wadsworth  and  Jessie,  and  Mr.  Lawrence 
and  Senator  Morr.  They  had  already  engaged 
rooms  at  the  Oakdale  hotel,  and  Dave,  Phil,  and 
Roger  went  there  to  meet  them  on  the  morning 
previous  to  the  game.    There  was  a  general  hand- 


286     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

shaking,  and  then  the  students  were  asked  a  hun- 
dred and  one  questions  about  their  studies,  games, 
and  school  life  generally. 

11  It  is  too  bad  you  are  not  to  pitch,  Dave,"  said 
his  sister,  when  they  were  alone.  "  Why  don't 
you  get  Phil  to  give  you  the  place  back  ?  " 

"  Because  it  wouldn't  be  fair,  Laura.  Purdy  has 
as  much  right  to  pitch  as  I  have." 

"  But  you  are  the  better  pitcher — Roger  says 
so — and  I  heard  so  from  Ben  Basswood, — through 
a  letter  he  wrote  to  his  sister." 

u  Well,  maybe  I'll  get  a  chance  to  pitch  a  few 
innings — if  Purdy  breaks  down.  But  I  trust  he 
doesn't  break  down — it's  hard  luck  for  any  pitcher 
to  do  that." 

There  was  a  pause,  and  Laura  pulled  her 
brother  further  into  a  corner,  away  from  the 
others. 

"  I  want  to  speak  to  you  about  something,"  she 
continued  in  a  low  tone.  "  Do  you  know  that  Jes- 
sie got  an  awful  letter  about  you  ?  " 

"A  letter?    Who  from?" 

"  I  don't  know.  It  came  from  Oakdale  and  was 
signed  A  Friend.  It  said  you  were  leading  a  fast 
life  here — drinking  and  smoking  and  gambling." 

"  It's  false,  Laura — I  don't  do  any  of  those 
things." 

"  I  know  that." 

"  Did  Jessie  believe  what  the  letter  said?  " 


DAVE  MAKES  UP  HIS  MIND  287 

"  She  didn't  believe  that  part,  but — the  letter 
said  something  more." 

"What?" 

"In  a  postscript  was  written,  '  You  are  being 
deceived  by  him,  and  he  is  also  deceiving  another 
girl,  Vera  Rockwell.  If  you  don't  believe  it,  come 
to  Oakdale  and  find  out.'  " 

"And  that  was  in  a  letter  sent  to  Jessie?" 
Dave  began  to  think  rapidly.  "  Did  she  get  that 
letter  before  she  came  here  that  other  time?" 

"  Yes, — but  she  didn't  let  me  know  it  then." 

"  And  was  that  why  she  was  so — so  put  out 
when  she  saw  me  with  Vera  and  Mary  and  Phil?  " 

"  I  suppose  so.  You  must  remember,  Dave,  that 
Jessie  is  very  sensitive — the  loveliest  girl  I  ever 
met, — and  she  looks  upon  you  as  her  dearest 
friend.  Getting  that  letter  and  then  seeing  you 
with  Miss  Rockwell " 

"  But  Vera  is  nothing  to  me  but  a  friend,  Laura. 
Why,  Roger  thinks  ten  times  more  of  her  than  I 
do.  Just  go  and  pump  him  about  it.  Why,  to 
me  Jessie  is  worth  more  than — than — anybody, 
outside  of  my  sister,  and  you  must  let  her  know  it, 
Laura."  Dave  paused.  "  That  letter — has  Jessie 
got  it  yet?  " 

"  Yes.  She  was  going  to  burn  it  up  after  she 
showed  it  to  me,  but  I  told  her  not  to  do  it,  and  I 
made  her  bring  it  along.  Of  course,  she  feels  a 
delicacy  about  showing  it  to  you — on  account  of 


288     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

the  postscript — but  I  said  you  ought  to  have  a 
chance  of  exposing  the  person  who  was  trying  to 
ruin  your  character." 

"  I  want  to  see  the  letter.  I've  got  some  idea 
already  regarding  the  writer." 

"  So  have  I !  " 

"LinkMerwell?"    , 

"  Yes.  Do  you  know  he  sent  me  an  unsigned 
letter  two  days  ago." 

"  He  did?  I  warned  him  not  to  send  you  any- 
thing," and  now  Dave's  face  grew  stern. 

"  It  was  only  a  couple  of  lines  in  pencil,  and 
said,  '  If  you  want  letters,  come  to  Oakdale  with 
twenty-five  dollars.'  " 

"  The  rascal !  So  he  has  sunk  so  low  he  wants 
to  sell  you  the  letters !  I  knew  he  was  going  to  the 
bad,  but  I  didn't  think  he  was  down  as  far  as  that. 
I  hope  you  didn't  bring  the  money." 

"  But  I  did,  Dave.  I — I  was  afraid  if  I  didn't 
he  might — might  read  the  letters  to  others  and 
expose  me  to  ridicule,"  and  the  girl's  face  grew 
crimson. 

"  Don't  you  give  him  a  cent,  Laura — not  a  cent. 
I'll  get  hold  of  him  before  the  term  breaks  up — 
and  I'll  get  those  letters  or  know  the  reason  why !  " 


CHAPTER  XXX 

DAVE  TAKES  THE   LAW  IN  HIS  OWN   HANDS 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  Dave  and  Jessie 
took  a  little  walk  up  to  the  public  park  of  Oak- 
dale  and,  seated  on  a  bench,  they  had  a  confidential 
talk  lasting  for  some  time.  A  great  many  things 
were  said  which  need  not  be  repeated  here.  When 
the  talk  was  over  Dave's  heart  felt  lighter  than 
it  had  for  many  weeks  and  Jessie's  beautiful  face 
shone  with  a  happiness  that  had  been  missing  for 
an  equal  length  of  time. 

"  It  was"  awful  for  that  Merwell  to  send  that 
letter,"  said  Jessie.  "  Of  course,  Dave,  you  can 
be  sure  I  didn't  believe  a  word  of  it, — about  your 
smoking  and  drinking  and  gambling." 

11 1  am  fairly  sure  it  is  his  handwriting,"  an- 
swered Dave.  "  He  tried  to  disguise  it,  but  a  fel- 
low can't  always  do  that.  I'll  find  out  pretty  quick 
— when  I  get  back  to  the  Hall." 

"  And  to  think  he  acted  so  meanly  toward 
Laura  !    He  must  be  perfectly  horrid !  " 

"  It's  my  opinion  his  days  at  Oak  Hall  are  num- 
bered, Jessie.     I  have  heard  the  doctor  has  given 

289  ^ 


290    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

him  warning  to  mend  his  ways,  but  he  doesn't  seem 
to  care.  Well,  if  he  won't  do  what  is  right  he 
must  take  the  consequences." 

Dave,  Roger,  and  Phil  had  run  down  to  Oak- 
dale  on  their  bicycles  and  now  they  had  to  return 
to  the  school — to  get  dinner  and  leave  for  the 
baseball  grounds  at  Hilltop. 

"  Let  us  go  around  by  way  of  the  Chedwick 
road,"  suggested  the  senator's  son.  "  It's  much 
better  riding  than  on  the  main  road  and  we  can 
make  better  time." 

The  others  were  willing,  and  off  they  sped  at  a 
speed  which  soon  took  them  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
town.  Then  they  came  to  a  crossroad,  on  the 
corner  of  which  was  situated  a  roadhouse  kept 
by  a  man  named  Rafferty.  Rafferty's  reputation 
was  none  of  the  best,  and  it  was  reported  that  the 
resort  was  used  by  many  who  wished  to  gamble. 
Doctor  Clay  had  warned  his  pupils  not  to  stop 
there  under  any  circumstances. 

Phil  and  Roger  were  somewhat  in  advance  of 
Dave,  whose  front  tire  was  soft  and  needed  pump- 
ing up.  Passing  the  roadhouse,  Dave  came  to  a 
halt  at  the  roadside. 

"  Going  to  pump  up !  "  he  called  out.  "  Go 
ahead — I'll  catch  up  with  you."  And  so  the  others 
went  on,  leaving  him  alone. 

He  was  at  work  with  a  small  hand  pump  he  car- 
ried when  he  heard  a  murmur  of  voices  in  the 


TAKES  THE  LAW  IN  HIS  OWN  HANDS     291 

bushes  and  trees  back  of  the  roadhouse.  The 
murmur  grew  louder,  and  presently  he  made  out 
the  voices  of  Gus  Plum  and  Link  Merwell. 

11  You're  a  fool,  Gus,  to  act  this  way,"  Merwell 
was  saying.  "What's  the  use  of  being  a  softy? 
You  are  missing  a  whole  lot  of  fun." 

"  I  tell  you  I'm  not  going  to  do  it,"  answered 
Plum.    "  I  guess  I  know  what  is  best  for  me." 

"  It  won't  hurt  you  to  have  one  drink,"  went 
on  Merwell.  "  Come  on  in,  like  a  good  fellow. 
I  hate  to  drink  alone.  He's  got  some  prime  stuff. 
We've  got  lots  of  time  to  get  back  to  the  Hall  in 
time  for  dinner." 

11  No,  I'm  done  with  drinking — I  told  you  that 
before,  Link.    Now  stop  it  and  let  me  go." 

"  See  here,  Gus,  you've  got  to  go  with  me," 
stormed  Merwell,  uglily.  "  I'll  not  have  you  giv- 
ing me  the  cold  shoulder.  If  you  refuse  to  have 
just  one  drink,  do  you  know  what  I'll  do?  I'll 
let  Doctor  Clay  know  about  that  other  time — the 
time  you  went  to  the  granary." 

"No!  no!"  pleaded  Plum,  and  now  his  voice 
trembled.    "  Please  don't  do  that !  " 

"  Ha !  ha !  that's  where  I've  got  you,  haven't 
I?    Now,  will  you  take  a  drink  with  me,  or  not?  " 

"  I — I — I  am  afraid.    Oh,  Merwell,  you  know 

how  it  was  before.    I — I "    Gus  Plum  broke 

down  completely.  "  Please  don't  ask  me ;  please 
don't  lM 


292     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"Of  all  the  fools "  began  Link  Merwell, 

and  then  stopped  short  as  a  heavy  hand  was  sud- 
denly laid  on  his  shoulder.     "  Dave  Porter!  " 

"  Merwell,  I  want  to  talk  to  you,"  said  Dave, 
in  a  cold,  hard  tone  that  caused  the  big  bully  to 
start.     "  Come  with  me." 

"  Oh,  Dave "  began  Plum,  and  his  face  was 

red  from  confusion. 

"  Let  me  do  the  talking — and  acting,  Gus." 

"Did  you — er — hear  what  was  said?" 

"  I  heard  enough.  Now,  Merwell,  come  with 
me." 

"Where  to?" 

"  Away  from  this  roadhouse." 

"What  for?" 

"  I'll  tell  you  that  later." 

"Supposing  I  refuse  to  come?"  Dave's  man- 
ner began  to  make  the  bully  feel  uncomfortable. 
He  felt  that  something  very  unusual  was  about  to 
happen. 

"  If  you  don't  come,  I'll  make  you." 

"  Will  you  ?  "  The  bully  tried  to  put  a  sneer 
in  the  question,  but  failed. 

"  I  will.  Now,  are  you  coming  or  not?  "  And 
Dave  doubled  up  his  fists  and  drew  back  his  right 
arm. 

"Going  to  fight?" 

"  No ;  I  am  going  to  give  you  the  worst  licking 
any  boy  at  Oak  Hall  ever  got." 


TAKES  THE  LAW  IN  HIS  OWN  HANDS    293 

"  Two  can  play  at  that  game." 

"Are  you  coming  or  not,  Merwell?  This  is 
your  last  chance  to  say  yes." 

"  No." 

Hardly  had  the  word  left  the  bully's  lips  when 
Dave  leaped  forward  and  sent  in  a  crashing  blow 
on  Merwell's  chin.  The  bully  tried  to  dodge  but 
failed,  and  went  over  on  his  back  in  some  brush- 
wood.   For  several  moments  he  lay  there  dazed. 

"  See  here,  I'll  fix  you !  "  he  roared,  as  he  strug- 
gled up.     "  If  you  want  to  fight Oh !  " 

For  again  Dave  had  struck  out,  and  this  time  the 
blow  landed  over  the  bully's  left  eye,  and  once 
more  he  went  down  in  the  bushes. 

"  Oh,  Dave "  began  Plum,  but  received  a 

shove  back. 

"  Leave  it  all  to  me,  Gus — I  owe  him  this,  and 
more.     I'll  tell  you  some  of  the  reasons  later." 

"  But — but  he'll  give  me  away  to  Doctor  Clay — 
he'll  tell  about  my " 

"  No,  he  won't — not  after  I  am  through  with 
him.  And  even  if  he  should  I  can  tell  the  doctor 
the  truth — how  he  tempted  you  and  even  threat- 
ened you." 

Breathing  heavily,  Link  Merwell  arose  a  sec- 
ond time.  He  looked  around  for  something  with 
which  to  attack  Dave,  and  his  uninjured  eye  fell 
upon  a  stone  lying  close  by.  But  as  he  stooped 
to  pick  it  up,  Dave  gave  him  a  shove  that  landed 


294     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

him  on  his  face  in  the  dirt.  Then  Dave  leaped 
forward  and  sat  down  heavily  on  the  bully's 
back. 

"  Ough !  "  roared  Merwell.  "  Let  up !  Do  you 
want  to  break  my  ribs?    Let  up,  I  say!  " 

"  Will  you  do  as  I  told  you  to?"  demanded 
Dave,  not  budging  from  his  position. 

"  Where  do  you  want  me  to  go?" 

"  Down  into  this  woods  a  short  distance — away 
from  the  roadhouse  and  the  road." 

"What  for?" 

11  I'll  tell  you  that  when  we  get  there." 

Fearing  some  of  his  ribs  might  be  broken,  Mer- 
well said  he  would  do  as  Dave  desired,  and  the 
latter  allowed  him  to  rise,  but  kept  a  close  watch 
on  his  every  movement.  Plum  could  now  see  that 
the  boy  from  Crumville  was  in  deadly  earnest  and 
felt  it  would  be  useless  to  talk  or  interfere,  and  so 
followed  the  two  into  the  woods  in  silence.  Dave 
brought  Merwell  to  a  halt  in  a  little  glade  sur- 
rounded by  hemlocks. 

"  Now,  sit  down  on  that  stone  while  I  talk  to 
you,  Link  Merwell,"  said  Dave,  pointing  to  a  flat 
rock.  "  I  shan't  take  long,  but  you'll  find  it  to 
your  interest  to  listen  closely  to  every  word  I  say." 
And  with  his  handkerchief  to  the  eye  that  was 
rapidly  closing,  the  bully  sat  down. 

"  In  the  past  you've  made  a  lot  of  trouble  for 
me  and  my  friends,"  commenced  Dave.     "  You 


TAKES  THE  LAW  IN  HIS  OWN  HANDS     295 

were  in  league  with  some  others  to  play  me  foul  at 
every  opportunity.  You  sent  a  letter  to  Roger 
Morr  about  me,  and  another  letter  to  Crumville, 
to  a  young  lady  friend  of  mine — and  you  also  sent 
a  letter  to  my  sister."  At  these  last  words  Mer- 
well's  hand  went  up  unconsciously  to  his  breast- 
pocket. "  You  have  blackened  my  character  all 
you  possibly  could.  Now,  if  I  wanted  to,  I  could 
place  you  in  the  hands  of  the  law.  But  instead,  I 
am  going  to  take  it  out  of  you." 

"  Wha — what  do  you  mean?"  And  the  bully 
half  arose  to  his  feet. 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  say,  Merwell.  Sit  down!  " 
And  Dave  shoved  the  bully  back  on  the  rock. 

"  I  want  you  to  know " 

11  Shut  up!  "  And  again  Dave  doubled  up  his 
fists.  "  I  am  not  here  to  listen  to  you.  I'll  do  the 
talking.  Now  to  come  to  business.  First  of  all, 
I  want  those  letters." 

"What  letters?" 

"  You  know  well  enough." 

"  I  haven't  any  letters  with  me." 

"  Do  you  want  to  make  it  necessary  for  me  to 
search  you  ?  " 

"You  wouldn't  dare,  Porter! " 

"  I  shall  dare.  Now  hand  over  those  letters, 
and  be  quick  about  it !  " 

Again  Dave  doubled  up  his  fists  and  something 
like  fire  shone  in  his  clear  eyes.     Merwell  hesi- 


296     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

tated,  shivered,  and  slowly  his  hand  went  to  his 
breast-pocket. 

"  You'll  rue  this  day!  "  he  muttered,  savagely. 

Slowly  he  drew  from  his  pocket  the  letters  Laura 
had  so  foolishly  sent  him.  Dave  snatched  them 
from  his  grasp  and  looked  them  over  swiftly,  then 
stowed  them  away  in  his  own  pocket. 

"  Now,  Merwell,  I  want  you  to  promise  by  all 
you  hold  sacred  not  to  say  a  word  to  anybody  about 
Gus  Plum's  doings  during  the  past  term.  For 
the  honor  of  the  school  I  think  this  matter  ought 
to  be  kept  secret." 

"  I'll  promise  nothing." 

"  Yes,  you  will." 

Again  were  Dave's  fists  doubled  up,  and  again 
that  fire  showed  itself  in  his  determined  eyes. 
Merwell  shivered — for  once  he  felt  himself  utterly 
cornered  and  beaten. 

"  All  right,  I  promise,"  he  said,  in  a  low  tone. 

"  And  you  must  also  promise  that  in  the  future 
you  will  leave  me  and  my  friends  alone." 

"  Have  your  own  way  about  it." 

"  Do  you  promise?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  stand  up." 

"  What  do  you  want  next?  "  growled  Merwell. 
He  was  feeling  more  uncomfortable  every  minute. 

"  I'll  show  you,"  answered  Dave,  and  leaping 
forward  he  caught  the  bully  by  the  collar  and 


TAKES  THE  LAW  IN  HIS  OWN  HANDS     297 

shook  him  as  a  dog  might  shake  a  rat.  Then  he 
cuffed  the  fellow  right  and  left,  gave  him  another 
shaking,  and  threw  him  down  violently  on  the 
ground.  Merwell  did  his  best  to  resist,  but  Dave's 
muscles  were  at  such  a  tension  that  Link  was  next 
to  helpless  in  the  other's  grasp. 

"  For  two  pins,  I'd  give  you  more !  "  cried  Dave. 
"  You  deserve  it.  But  I'll  save  the  rest — in  case 
you  ever  attempt  to  break  the  promises  you've 
made." 

And  then,  taking  Plum  by  the  arm,  he  walked 
off,  leaving  Link  Merwell  on  the  ground,  bruised 
and  shaken,  and  as  thoroughly  cowed,  for  the  time 
being,  as  a  whipped  cur. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

MORE   VICTORIES — CONCLUSION 

Once  more  Oak  Hall  and  Rockville  Academy 
were  struggling  to  decide  the  championship.  It 
was  a  clear  day,  and  as  before  every  nook  and 
corner  of  the  grand  stand  and  bleachers  was  filled. 
In  one  spot  were  located  the  Porters,  Jessie,  Sena- 
tor Morr,  Mr.  Lawrence,  and  many  other  friends. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  inning  and  the 
score  stood,  Rockville  5,  Oak  Hall  3.  Plum  was 
again  at  first,  but  Dave  and  Roger  were  on  the 
bench  as  substitutes. 

It  had  been  a  hard-fought  battle  from  the  first 
ball  pitched.  Each  pitcher  had  been  hit  heavily, 
but  good  field  work  had  kept  the  score  from  going 
higher.  Shadow  had  made  a  phenomenal  catch 
that  had  brought  forth  much  applause,  and  Phil 
had  brought  in  the  third  run  when  it  looked  almost 
certain  that  he  would  be  put  out. 

It  was  Oak  Hall's  turn  at  the  bat,  and  they  did 
their  best  to  score.  But  with  a  man  on  second  and 
another  on  first,  their  hopes  faded,  and  they  re- 

298 


MORE  VICTORIES— CONCLUSION      299 

tired,  leaving  the  figures  as  before.  Then  Rock- 
ville  took  up  the  stick,  and  lined  out  two  singles, 
a  three-bagger,  and  another  single  before  giving 
up,  thus  adding  three  to  their  tally. 

"  That's  the  way  to  do  it !  " 

"  Rockville  is  sure  to  take  this  game !  " 

Messmer  was  next  to  the  bat,  but  knocked  a 
fly  to  center,  and  another  player  followed  with  a 
foul  that  was  caught  by  the  third  baseman.  Then 
Barloe,  the  catcher,  who  had  made  the  first  run, 
came  up  with  his  bat. 

M  Hurrah  for  Barloe !  "  was  the  cry.  "  Make 
another  this  time !  " 

In  came  the  ball  and  the  batsman  tried  to  hit  it 
and  failed.  Then  the  sphere  came  in  a  second 
time,  and  of  a  sudden  Barloe  uttered  a  moan  and 
sank  to  the  ground. 

"  Barloe's  hit!  The  ball  took  him  under  the 
ribs!" 

The  report  was  true,  and  too  weak  to  run  the 
injured  catcher  was  escorted  to  a  bench,  while 
Roger  took  his  place  at  first.  By  good  luck  the 
senator's  son  brought  the  run  in,  and  he  was  then 
asked  to  do  the  catching  as  of  old,  Barloe  begging 
to  be  excused. 

With  the  runs  piling  up  against  him,  Purdy  was 
getting  nervous,  and  in  the  seventh  inning  he 
seemed  to  go  all  to  pieces,  much  to  his  own  chagrin 
and  the  disappointment  of  his  many  friends.     He 


300    DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

allowed  two  singles,  and  then  gave  two  men  their 
base  on  balls,  thus  forcing  in  a  run. 

"Wake  up,  Purdy!  You'll  have  to  do  better 
than  that!  " 

11  Dave  Porter !     Put  Dave  Porter  in  1  " 

11  That's  it!     Porter!  Porter!  Porter!  " 

The  cry  was  taken  up  on  all  sides,  and  Phil  mo- 
tioned for  Purdy  to  retire  and  for  Dave  to  come 
out. 

"  It's  too  bad,  Purdy,  old  man,"  whispered 
Dave,  as  he  passed  the  rattled  pitcher. 

"  Fortune  of  war,"  was  the  grim  and  plucky 
answer.     "  I  did  my  best.     Go  in  and  wax  'em !  " 

Dave  might  have  been  nervous  had  he  allowed 
himself  to  think  of  what  was  before  him.  The 
bases  were  filled  and  nobody  was  out.  It  was 
certainly  a  trying  moment,  to  say  the  least.  He 
took  his  place  in  the  box  and  the  umpire  called 
out  "  Play!  "  Then  the  ball  fairly  streaked  over 
the  plate. 

"Strike  one!" 

"Hurrah!  that's  the  way  to  do  it!" 

With  the  ball  again  in  hand,  Dave  looked  at 
the  batter  and  then  cast  a  swift  glance  toward 
third.  Over  to  the  base  went  the  ball,  and  much 
to  his  surprise  the  runner  was  caught  two  feet  off 
the  bag. 

"  Runner  at  third  out!  " 

What  a  cheering  went  up !     All  the  Oak  Hall 


MORE  VICTORIES— CONCLUSION      301 

supporters  felt  that  Dave  meant  business,  and  their 
drooping  spirits  revived  as  if  by  magic. 

With  care  the  pitcher  delivered  one  ball  after 
another — a  drop,  and  then  one  that  was  as  straight 
as  it  was  swift.  The  batter  was  struck  out,  and 
another  roar  went  up  from  the  Oak  Hall  con- 
tingent. Laura  waved  her  banner  and  Jessie  her 
handkerchief. 

"  Two  out !    Now,  Porter,  go  after  the  third !  " 

And  Dave  did  go  after  the  next  batter.  But 
the  fellow  was  a  good  hitter  and  managed  to  find 
the  ball.  But  no  run  came  in,  and  the  inning  was 
saved. 

It  was  a  victory  in  itself  and  many  came  up  to 
shake  Dave  by  the  hand.  But  he  waved  them 
aside. 

"  Hold  on,"  he  said.  "  The  game  isn't  over 
yet — and  please  to  remember  the  score  is  four  to 
eight  against  us." 

In  the  eighth  inning  the  Oak  Hall  nine  managed 
to  make  two  runs.  In  that  inning  Dave  by  clever 
work  held  the  opposition  down  to  one  scratch  hit 
which  went  for  nothing,  and  received  more  ap- 
plause. Then  came  the  ninth  inning,  and  in  that 
Oak  Hall  tied  the  score,  amid  a  yelling  that  could 
be  heard  a  mile  away.  Even  Doctor  Clay  was 
cheering,  and  in  his  enthusiasm  Andrew  Dale  com- 
pletely smashed  the  derby  hat  he  wore. 

The    tenth    inning    opened   amid    a   breathless 


302     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

silence.  Oak  Hall  did  its  best  to  score,  but  failed. 
Then  Dave  walked  down  to  the  box  once  again, 
and  in  a  manner  that  was  certainly  wonderful 
struck  out  two  men  after  one  man  had  been  caught 
out  on  a  pop  fly. 

Ten  innings  and  still  a  tie.  This  was  certainly 
a  game  worth  seeing  and  nearly  all  the  spectators 
were  now  on  their  feet,  talking  and  shouting 
wildly. 

"Now,  boys,  we  must  do  something!"  cried 
Phil. 

Ben  Basswood  was  at  bat,  and  with  two  strikes 
called  on  him,  Ben  landed  for  a  two-base  hit.  Then 
came  a  single,  and  taking  a  perilous  chance  Ben  ran 
around  and  slid  to  the  plate. 

"A  run!    A  run!" 

"Now  make  it  two!  " 

But  this  was  not  to  be,  and  Oak  Hall  retired 
one  run  "  to  the  good,"  as  Roger  said. 

"  Well,  that's  enough, — if  we  can  hold  them 
down  in  their  half,"  said  Plum.  He  had  done 
some  great  work  at  first,  of  which  he  was  corre- 
spondingly proud. 

All  eyes  were  on  Dave  when  he  entered  the 
pitcher's  box  for  the  last  time.  He  felt  as  if  he 
had  the  responsibility  of  the  whole  game  on  his 
shoulders.  He  pitched  quickly,  almost  bewilder- 
ing the  batters.  The  first  man  up  went  out  on 
strikes  and  the  second  knocked  a  short  fly  to  third. 


MORE  VICTORIES— CONCLUSION      303 

Then  came  a  fellow  named  Parsons,  the  best  hitter 
of  the  Rockville  club. 

"  Hurrah !  Parsons,  show  'em  where  the  back 
fence  is !  " 

With  two  men  out,  Dave  faced  the  batter.  He 
sent  in  a  low  ball  which  Parsons  tried  to  find — 
and  failed.  Then  Parsons  tried  again — and 
failed.  Then  Dave  sent  in  the  swiftest  ball  yet 
pitched,  giving  it  all  the  twist  possible. 

"  Three  strikes — batter  out !  " 

And  the  game  was  won,  and  with  it  the  cham- 
pionship of  the  two  schools ! 

"  Beautiful !  beautiful !  "  cried  Doctor  Clay, 
when  he  came  down  into  the  field  to  congratulate 
the  club.  "  It  was  the  best  exhibition  of  ball-play- 
ing I've  seen  in  a  long  time." 

And  all  the  visitors  to  Oak  Hall  and  many 
others  agreed  with  him.  Dave  was  the  lion  of  the 
occasion,  and  his  many  friends  nearly  wrung  his 
hand  off.  The  other  members  of  the  nine  also 
came  in  for  a  share  of  the  praise.  The  Rock- 
ville boys  felt  their  defeat  keenly,  but  had  to  ac- 
knowledge that  they  had  been  beaten  fairly. 

As  soon  as  he  could  get  away  from  his  chums, 
Dave  sought  out  Laura  and  Jessie. 

"  I've  got  those  letters,"  he  whispered  to  Laura. 
"  And  I  doubt  if  Link  Merwell  will  ever  trouble 
you  again." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  thankful,  Dave !  "  she  answered. 


304     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

"  I'll  never  be  so  foolish  again  as  to  write  letters 
to  a  person  with  whom  I  am  not  well  acquainted." 

"  It  was  grand,  Dave !  "  cried  Jessie.  "  It  was 
the  best  victory  that  could  be!  " 

"  Well,  I  am  hoping  for  a  greater  to-morrow," 
answered  Dave,  gravely. 

"  You  mean  in  school?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  I  trust  with  all  my  heart  you  have  your 
wishes  fulfilled,"  said  the  girl,  and  her  eyes  told 
that  she  meant  what  she  said. 

That  night  late  a  report  was  whispered  around 
the  school  that  Link  Merwell  had  gotten  into  seri- 
ous trouble  with  Doctor  Clay,  and  the  report 
proved  true.  Angered  by  the  way  Dave  had 
treated  him,  and  by  Plum's  refusal  to  go  with  him, 
Link  Merwell  had  not  witnessed  the  ball  game, 
but  had  gone  to  Rafferty's  resort  instead.  Here 
he  had  smoked,  drunk,  and  gambled,  and  ended 
by  getting  into  a  free  fight  with  several  men.  One 
man  told  Horsehair  of  the  trouble  and  the  school 
driver  reported  at  once  to  Doctor  Clay,  'the  doc- 
tor and  Mr.  Dale  went  after  the  misguided  youth, 
and  a  scene  followed  which  need  not  be  mentioned 
here.  The  next  day  Link  Merwell  was  ordered 
to  pack  his  trunk  and  leave,  and  a  telegram  was 
sent  to  his  father  in  the  West  stating  that  he  had 
been  expelled  for  violating  the  school  rules.  In 
his  rage  Merwell,  before  leaving,  exposed  the  do- 


MORE  VICTORIES— CONCLUSION      305 

ings  of  both  Gus  Plum  and  Nat  Poole.  At  once 
the  doctor  sent  for  Plum,  and  later  he  interviewed 
Poole. 

It  was  a  trying  time  for  Gus,  and  he  broke  down 
completely.  He  mentioned  what  Dave  had  done 
for  him,  and  stated  he  was  doing  his  best  to  re- 
form. Learning  of  this,  the  master  of  the  school 
called  upon  Dave  to  tell  his  story,  and  then  the 
depths  of  Merwell's  depravity  came  out.  In  the 
end  the  doctor  said  he  would  give  Plum  another 
chance  to  redeem  himself,  and  for  this  the  big 
youth  was  exceedingly  grateful. 

For  having  told  a  falsehood  about  taking  the 
boat  from  Bush  Island,  Nat  Poole  was  given  a 
severe  lecture.  He  said  he  had  wanted,  several 
times,  to  explain  to  the  doctor,  but  that  Link  Mer- 
well  had  threatened  to  make  it  unpleasant  for  him 
if  he  did  so.  Because  the  joke  had  been  directed 
against  some  of  his  fellow-students  and  not  against 
Doctor  Clay  and  Mr.  Dale,  Poole  got  off  easier 
than  might  otherwise  have  been  the  case. 

The  closing  exercises  of  the  school  were  well 
attended.  Sixteen  pupils  were  to  graduate,  includ- 
ing several  who  had  been  Dave's  warm  chums. 
Some  of  these  boys  stood  high  in  their  class  and 
consequently  walked  off  with  some  prizes. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  decision  regarding 
the  essays  on  The  Past  and  Future  of  Our  Country 
everybody  was  on  the  top-notch  of  expectation. 


3o6     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

All  the  teachers  had  read  the  various  papers 
handed  in,  and  they  had  been  the  subject  of  many 
comments. 

"  Because  of  the  general  excellence  of  seven  of 
the  essays,"  said  Doctor  Clay,  "  it  has  been  some- 
what difficult  to  pick  out  that  which  was  the  best. 
We  have  here  a  fine  essay  by  Bertram  Vane,  an- 
other by  Samuel  Downs,  another  by  Joseph  Beggs, 
and  others  by  Chipham  Macklin,  Giles  Cadmore, 
and  Devere  Peterson.  But  there  is  one  that  seems 
to  stand  out  above  the  others,  both  for  its 
originality  and  its  literary  qualities.  That  essay 
takes  the  prize,  and  it  is  written  by  Master  David 
Porter.  Porter,  will  you  please  come  forward  and 
read  your  essay." 

As  Dave  walked  to  the  platform  a  round  of 
applause  was  given  and  when  he  bowed  there  was 
much  handclapping.  Then  in  a  clear,  full  voice, 
he  read  the  essay  on  which  he  had  spent  so  much 
thought  and  labor.  It  was  certainly  a  splendid 
piece  of  literary  composition  and  was  listened  to 
with  great  pleasure  by  all.  When  he  had  finished 
Doctor  Clay  handed  him  the  prize,  and  then  the 
applause  broke  forth  anew. 

"  Another  victory !  "  whispered  Roger;  as  Dave 
passed  to  his  seat. 

"  Yes,  and  the  best  of  them  all,"  was  Dave's 
reply. 

Fortunately,  the  senator's  son  also  won  a  prize, 


MORE  VICTORIES— CONCLUSION      307 

and  Phil  came  in  the  third  from  the  highest  in  his 
class,  while  Shadow  came  in  fifth  and  Ben  Bass- 
wood  sixth.  Even  Gus  Plum  made  a  good  record, 
much  to  the  pleasure  of  his  parents,  who  had 
feared  at  one  time  he  would  turn  out  a  ne'er-do- 
well. 

"  Now  the  question  is,  What  are  we  going  to  do 
during  the  summer  vacation?"  said  Roger,  after 
the  exercises  were  over,  and  he  and  the  others  and 
their  friends  were  indulging  in  refreshments  on  the 
campus. 

"I  am  going  to  Asbury  Park  with  my  folks," 
said  Luke  Watson. 

"  And  I  am  going  to  Maine,"  added  Messmer. 
11  My  uncle  has  a  camp  there.  Henshaw  is  going 
with  me,  and  so  is  Macklin." 

"  I  have  an  invitation  for  Dave,"  said  Laura. 
"  The  Endicotts  want  me  to  come  back  to  their 
ranch  and  bring  my  newly-found  brother  with  me." 

"That's  fine!"  cried  Phil.  "I'd  like  to  try 
ranch  life  myself  just  for  a  change." 

"  The  Endicotts'  ranch  is  next  to  that  owned 
by  Merwell's  father,  so  I  have  been  told,"  added 
Roger.  "  Maybe  if  you  go  out  there  with  Dave, 
you'll  meet' Link  again." 

"  I  never  want  to  see  that  fellow  again,"  said 
Dave.  But  this  wish  was  not  to  be  fulfilled,  as 
we  shall  learn  in  the  next  volume  of  this  series,  to 
be  entitled,  "  Dave  Porter  at  Star  Ranch ;  or,  The 


3o8     DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES 

Cowboy's  Secret."  In  that  volume  we  shall  meet 
many  of  our  friends  again,  and  learn  what  Link 
Merwell  did  when  he  and  Dave  met  once  more  on 
the  boundless  prairies  and  in  the  mountain  canyons. 

That  evening  the  students  held  a  grand  celebra- 
tion, which  lasted  far  into  the  night.  Bonfires 
were  lit  and  the  lads  danced  around  and  sang  songs 
to  their  hearts'  content.  Shadow  told  half  a  dozen 
of  his  best  stories,  and  two  of  the  students  dis- 
tinguished themselves  by  giving  all  their  school- 
books  to  the  flames.  It  was  a  time  none  of  them 
ever  forgot. 

"  And  now  for  home,"  said  Dave,  the  next  day. 
11  Home,  and  the  boundless  West." 

And  here  let  us  leave  him,  and  say  good-by. 


THE  END 


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